Japan is a perfect example of the opposite. They have a NEGATIVE birthrate because the affluence of their society has led many to chose not to have children.
I'm busy trying to work out how it is possible to have a negative birthrate. The best I can do is imagine some kind of reverse aging field affecting parts of Japan, where adults become children, children become babies, and babies crawl back into... No, better stop right there.
Negative population growth, on the other hand, is easier to explain.
I think the time for MS to try to gain a foothold in the linux application market was about 2 years ago and they missed it.
I thought the time for MS to try to gain a foothold in the Internet was about 1995, but they missed it.
Apart from their first, say, 10 years, Microsoft have been consistantly late to the party, but have still managed to dominate. I think they've missed a great opportunity, but they're not out of time yet.
Embrace the idea of a good standardized user interface for Linux
I've been wondering about this. How many Windows users want a standardised interface? An awful lot of people, when sat in front of a new PC, seem to instantly start looking for ways to customise -- change default fonts, set up wacky cursors, modify the colour scheme and so on.
I think this quest for a standardised interface is being over-stressed. Most available (or rather, popular) desktop environments (Gnome, KDE, IceWM, etc) have enough in common for most punters to have an idea -- a menu system like the Windows "Start" menu, window buttons for maximise, minimise and close, and so on.
just like movies the US is defininately way in the lead, but the rest of the world is catching up...
There is a danger of making complacent assumptions in this as in many other things. A very quick bit of Googling to back up my hunch revealed some information about "Bollywood", the Indian film industry which, according to this source (and a couple of others), has annual revenues heading towards $1B, and has a massively higher output than Hollywood. Consider the relative GDPs of India ($2.664 trillion) and the USA ($10.45 trillion -- according to the CIA), and it might not really be sensible to think of the USA being so comfortably in the lead in film production.
I know you said that many other countries are catching up with the US in technological innovation, but like the movie industry, it might be worth considering just how close some countries are coming.
I dread a scenario where, around 2005, everyone and their grandma is buying a Linux box (that new OS that just came out year or so ago).
I agree. What I would like to see is 9 different OSes each with 10% market share and all based on open standards, and the other 10% filled up by a pile of others that may or may not move up to the "big time" later.
However, in the end I think I like Amazon's position: "It encourages customers to explore authors or genres they might not otherwise try because of the price," said spokeswoman Patty Smith. "That ends up helping authors and publishers." This is a good thing for new authors that won't really hurt the established authors or the publishers themselves. Either way, no one is trying to slap a EULA on your books, so please try and calm down a bit before you post.
I think the interesting thing here is that the 2nd hand books pop up when you are browsing that title anyway. Thus, you are already showing an interest in that title. It seems to me that this is not doing a great deal to "encourage customers to explore".
isn't Mandrake a French company? Too far away, conceptually if not literally.
At the risk of stating the obvious, being French removes them somewhat from the American market, but could give them an advantage in Europe (and particularly in France, of course). Clearly that isn't enough at the moment, but...
Yeah, I'm sure IBM does some token contributions to the Linux community, however I'd put a wager on them spending (many) magnitudes more painting penguins on sidewalks and putting cute Linux ads in magazines than they spend paying developers who contribute : Why would they contribute?
Hmm, it was not long ago that I saw a whole load of posters screaming out that what Linux needs above all else is a marketing department. It seems to me that what IBM are doing is providing some of that marketing that Linux supposedly needs. I don't know how much they have contributed to the OS/free software community (I suspect it is actually a reasonable amount), but I suspect that their splashing penguins and stuff around the place is a very valuable contribution.
Really until my dad can install applications without having to open a console window, Linux isn't ready for the average home user.
Umm, how often does your dad actually install software? I suspect that if I installed a modern Linux with KDE on my mother's computer she would be perfectly happy -- email, browsing and dial-up would work in almost exactly the same way as usual, and word processing wouldn't be far off.
I would contend that the "average" home user rarely, if ever, installs new software. All they need is someone to get them set up and running. Currently in most cases that someone will be either the OEM or AOL, via their ubiquitous CDs.
However I don't think this excuses us from working on a slicker and more user friendly way of installing new software. This definitely needs doing, I just don't think it's as big a deal as some people make out, as far as this "Joe Sixpack" is concerned.
I don't download that many songs -- I prefer to buy albums so that I get the additional content (sleeves, cover art, lyric sheets that weren't typed up by a half-deaf 12 year old dyslexic) and I also like to have a physical representation of what I own.
This brings to mind a thought I have been mulling over for a while. Surely with the internet providing such easy distribution, a clear thinking record company could implement a new business model.
My thought is basically that music should be freely downloadable and then, for a few pounds/dollars, we could have that "additional content" sent to us: a CD case with a nice little booklet and maybe a poster and some other stuff. Plenty of people would just go for the free download, but I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to pay the extra to get the nice, collectors' packaging for their favourite bands. I would.
If you invented a new way of doing math, would you think that you have the right come hell or high water to keep people from using it if you wanted to? Most people don't think so because they realize that math is something too important and too useful to let one person have a chokehold over. Same goes with programs.
There is a big difference between copyrighting and patenting. If I invented a new technique and patented it, then I would be preventing others from using it without giving me money. Software licensing doesn't do that.
A software license might restrict users' ability to copy, distribute, or even use a specific piece of software, but would not prevent a user from using the underlying techniques, unless patents had been filed. I don't think you are really comparing like with like.
FWIW I don't have a problem with developers being able to choose their license (particularly if users are aware of competitors using different licenses) but software patents stick in the craw as much as the patenting of mathematical formulae and naturally occurring chemicals/drugs.
. And even if everyone on Slashdot knows who Larry Ellison is, I think it's safe to say that for the general worldwide public he is not a household name.
<thinks>But it's probably safe to say that Bill Gates is a household name. Hmm... But would he be in attendance?...</thinks>
But, I'm sure it's not just me that would have to think twice or three times about installing an operating system produced by the governement agency responsible for spying on us...
Normally this might be cause for concern, but it has the strength of being open source, so the patches can be scrutinised by the OS community and if there's something dodgy about it, you can bet your hard disk that word would get out.
And if you're worried about the government slipping you dodgy binaries... compile from source!
recent figures prove that file-sharing services actually generate sales and put more money in artists' pockets.
It occurs to me that there could be a new business model for music distribution out there. I don't know if anyone has come up with this before, but perhaps bands could give away their music, but sell related merchandise like a cool box to put your CD in or a nice, collectable dead-tree book to accompany the music. Just a thought...
At the risk of starting a flamewar or being modded as OT or redundant, can anyone point me to a site where the relative merits of the various *BSD OSes are discussed. I've seen this sort of thing for Linux distros...
I think they are jumping to conclusions on this one, unless they know more than they are telling. It almost seems like they are jumping on a "let's hate AOL" bandwagon.
Yahoo on the '"let's hate AOL" bandwagon'? Now why could that be...?
Apart from the fact that the graphical banners seem a bit unnecessary (wouldn't a text link be more in-keeping with the message?), I reckon there's a good point here. Unnecessary flash (small 'f') is often annoying and slows web speeds horribly. Just give me plain text sites any day! (Well, except when I am surfing at work. Flashy stuff is OK then.)
Re:Best Browser, according to /. readers
on
Linux: Browser Wars
·
· Score: 1
Looking at the logs, I have: <snip>
One question though: how many of those IE hits are other browsers masquerading? I know Opera at least pretends to be IE by default (at least it did on my download), and I wouldn't be surprised if others did too...
Apache is far from dead or dying. It probably won't come with a GUI configurator/wizard thingy. Should it?
GUI is clearly not the way of the future. I mean, look at The Matrix. Cypher clearly explains that a GUI is not sufficient for the purposes of monitoring the matrix itself. Text based solutions will continue to be superior in The Future. ("All I see is redhead, brunette...")
Re:Why subscribe to software in the future...
on
Windows in 2020
·
· Score: 1
...when the stuff available now already does more than anyone needs?
The thing is that the article was talking about embedded systems, not just PCs (and as an aside, I'd question whether there will be many PCs as we know them in 20 years' time). We are probably due for software heading off in different directions, fulfilling specific needs and functions that have not yet become apparent. If this is the case, then current software does *not* do all that we will ever need.
However, notwithstanding the possibility of web browsing refrigerators and the like, the 'small tools for specific purposes' approach that would have to be favoured for embedded applications fits in nicely with the traditional Unix ethos rather better than for Windows. Will MS systems *really* find their way into toasters and lawnmowers any time soon?
In the UK we have had a thing called the 'Robot Games'
Please excuse me for replying to myself, but I think I'd better correct myself. The event was called 'Technogames' and if you visit the BBC Robot Gallery you can choose to see selected highlights of this year's event. Apologies for not getting it right first time!
Wouldnt it be interesting to see some other sports too? Perhaps a decatholon?
In the UK we have had a thing called the 'Robot Games', which was a whole load of 'robot' (mostly remote controlled devices, but a few genuinely computer controlled) events including swimming, running, rope climbing, high and long jumps, mouse mazes, and so on. Some of it was a bit naff but it was great fun to watch.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm busy trying to work out how it is possible to have a negative birthrate. The best I can do is imagine some kind of reverse aging field affecting parts of Japan, where adults become children, children become babies, and babies crawl back into... No, better stop right there.
Negative population growth, on the other hand, is easier to explain.
I think the time for MS to try to gain a foothold in the linux application market was about 2 years ago and they missed it.
I thought the time for MS to try to gain a foothold in the Internet was about 1995, but they missed it.
Apart from their first, say, 10 years, Microsoft have been consistantly late to the party, but have still managed to dominate. I think they've missed a great opportunity, but they're not out of time yet.
I've been wondering about this. How many Windows users want a standardised interface? An awful lot of people, when sat in front of a new PC, seem to instantly start looking for ways to customise -- change default fonts, set up wacky cursors, modify the colour scheme and so on.
I think this quest for a standardised interface is being over-stressed. Most available (or rather, popular) desktop environments (Gnome, KDE, IceWM, etc) have enough in common for most punters to have an idea -- a menu system like the Windows "Start" menu, window buttons for maximise, minimise and close, and so on.
There is a danger of making complacent assumptions in this as in many other things. A very quick bit of Googling to back up my hunch revealed some information about "Bollywood", the Indian film industry which, according to this source (and a couple of others), has annual revenues heading towards $1B, and has a massively higher output than Hollywood. Consider the relative GDPs of India ($2.664 trillion) and the USA ($10.45 trillion -- according to the CIA), and it might not really be sensible to think of the USA being so comfortably in the lead in film production.
I know you said that many other countries are catching up with the US in technological innovation, but like the movie industry, it might be worth considering just how close some countries are coming.
I agree. What I would like to see is 9 different OSes each with 10% market share and all based on open standards, and the other 10% filled up by a pile of others that may or may not move up to the "big time" later.
Well, I can dream...
I think the interesting thing here is that the 2nd hand books pop up when you are browsing that title anyway. Thus, you are already showing an interest in that title. It seems to me that this is not doing a great deal to "encourage customers to explore".
At the risk of stating the obvious, being French removes them somewhat from the American market, but could give them an advantage in Europe (and particularly in France, of course). Clearly that isn't enough at the moment, but...
Hmm, it was not long ago that I saw a whole load of posters screaming out that what Linux needs above all else is a marketing department. It seems to me that what IBM are doing is providing some of that marketing that Linux supposedly needs. I don't know how much they have contributed to the OS/free software community (I suspect it is actually a reasonable amount), but I suspect that their splashing penguins and stuff around the place is a very valuable contribution.
I would contend that the "average" home user rarely, if ever, installs new software. All they need is someone to get them set up and running. Currently in most cases that someone will be either the OEM or AOL, via their ubiquitous CDs.
However I don't think this excuses us from working on a slicker and more user friendly way of installing new software. This definitely needs doing, I just don't think it's as big a deal as some people make out, as far as this "Joe Sixpack" is concerned.
This brings to mind a thought I have been mulling over for a while. Surely with the internet providing such easy distribution, a clear thinking record company could implement a new business model.
My thought is basically that music should be freely downloadable and then, for a few pounds/dollars, we could have that "additional content" sent to us: a CD case with a nice little booklet and maybe a poster and some other stuff. Plenty of people would just go for the free download, but I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to pay the extra to get the nice, collectors' packaging for their favourite bands. I would.
There is a big difference between copyrighting and patenting. If I invented a new technique and patented it, then I would be preventing others from using it without giving me money. Software licensing doesn't do that.
A software license might restrict users' ability to copy, distribute, or even use a specific piece of software, but would not prevent a user from using the underlying techniques, unless patents had been filed. I don't think you are really comparing like with like.
FWIW I don't have a problem with developers being able to choose their license (particularly if users are aware of competitors using different licenses) but software patents stick in the craw as much as the patenting of mathematical formulae and naturally occurring chemicals/drugs.
<thinks>But it's probably safe to say that Bill Gates is a household name. Hmm... But would he be in attendance?...</thinks>
Normally this might be cause for concern, but it has the strength of being open source, so the patches can be scrutinised by the OS community and if there's something dodgy about it, you can bet your hard disk that word would get out.
And if you're worried about the government slipping you dodgy binaries... compile from source!
You teach students to ask 'Why?' and then to listen to the answer.
Rob.
It occurs to me that there could be a new business model for music distribution out there. I don't know if anyone has come up with this before, but perhaps bands could give away their music, but sell related merchandise like a cool box to put your CD in or a nice, collectable dead-tree book to accompany the music. Just a thought...
At the risk of starting a flamewar or being modded as OT or redundant, can anyone point me to a site where the relative merits of the various *BSD OSes are discussed. I've seen this sort of thing for Linux distros...
Yahoo on the '"let's hate AOL" bandwagon'? Now why could that be...?
Fair point. I misinterpreted your earlier comment, sorry.
relative to whatever its hitting. Martian winds are faster than on Earth
Don't forget that as the density of the atmosphere on Mars is rather
lower than on Earth, this will counteract much of the effect of the faster
winds.
Faster winds --> more kinetic energy imparted.
But...
Less air hitting the ball --> less kinetic energy imparted.
I assume the NASA people can do the sums correctly (as long as they
decide in advance if they are working in metric or imperial measures).
Apart from the fact that the graphical banners seem a bit unnecessary (wouldn't a text link be more in-keeping with the message?), I reckon there's a good point here. Unnecessary flash (small 'f') is often annoying and slows web speeds horribly. Just give me plain text sites any day! (Well, except when I am surfing at work. Flashy stuff is OK then.)
One question though: how many of those IE hits are other browsers masquerading? I know Opera at least pretends to be IE by default (at least it did on my download), and I wouldn't be surprised if others did too...
GUI is clearly not the way of the future. I mean, look at The Matrix. Cypher clearly explains that a GUI is not sufficient for the purposes of monitoring the matrix itself. Text based solutions will continue to be superior in The Future. ("All I see is redhead, brunette...")
The thing is that the article was talking about embedded systems, not just PCs (and as an aside, I'd question whether there will be many PCs as we know them in 20 years' time). We are probably due for software heading off in different directions, fulfilling specific needs and functions that have not yet become apparent. If this is the case, then current software does *not* do all that we will ever need.
However, notwithstanding the possibility of web browsing refrigerators and the like, the 'small tools for specific purposes' approach that would have to be favoured for embedded applications fits in nicely with the traditional Unix ethos rather better than for Windows. Will MS systems *really* find their way into toasters and lawnmowers any time soon?
Please excuse me for replying to myself, but I think I'd better correct myself. The event was called 'Technogames' and if you visit the BBC Robot Gallery you can choose to see selected highlights of this year's event. Apologies for not getting it right first time!
In the UK we have had a thing called the 'Robot Games', which was a whole load of 'robot' (mostly remote controlled devices, but a few genuinely computer controlled) events including swimming, running, rope climbing, high and long jumps, mouse mazes, and so on. Some of it was a bit naff but it was great fun to watch.