Yep. The C-64 documentation rocked. I remember three books -- the manual that came with the computer, the Reference Manual (which actually included a schematic of the computer), and a book titled "Inside Commodore DOS" which detailed everything about the 1541 disk drive, including a disassembly of the operating system. I still have them around somewhere. They were a hacker's dream.
One could literally teach oneself BASIC, Assembly and all kinds of programming tricks with those things.
If documentation of that quality were available for today's PC's, I would cry for joy.
ANY high-intensity radiation can cook food. Remember, microwave ovens produce 750-1000 Watts of microwave power.
The point of using microwaves, of course, is that such wavelengths are easily absorbed by water molecules, which tend to be prevalent in food. But that doesn't mean that any microwave radiation will cook food. Quantity, not just quality, counts.
Thanks for the comment. Since I was the one who started the petition, let me state (for your edification, if not your education) that 1) I most certainly understand the issue, and especially the technology, 2) I have nothing to do with "E-the People" -- they simply run a site that met my needs, 3) my outrage is hardly "fad-driven" -- I assure you, it's genuine, and is driven not by a desire to "ride others' hard work" (I work quite hard myself, thank you) but to guarantee that hard work is not circumvented by silly legal tricks and tactics, 4) if you're going to try to dissuade folks from expressing their opinion, perhaps a solid argument on the issue would be more appropriate.
There was a nice little fastloader I "borrowed" from the game "Impossible Mission" that cut loading time by a factor of about 10. It worked like a charm for virtually any file one wanted to load.
The real speed demons were the old tape drives. What was the throughput on those, 'anyone remember? Maybe about 10 kB/minute? Kids today just don't know how easy they've got it...;^)
One could do some pretty funky things with those 1541 drives. The on-board processor and memory made for some fun times.
Evidently, the court believed that the threats were implied. It found that one does not have to say "I want you to kill someone", only "This person isn't human, he's a murderer of 'helpless babies', the law won't do anything about it, he's guilty of 'crimes against humanity' and should be put on trial, God hates him, and oh by the way, here's his home address, telephone number, license plate number, the names of his nearest and dearest, and we'll cross his name off like something big's been accomplished for the 'public good' if he happens to be wounded or killed", all on a web page who's primary animation is dripping blood.
Can't say I really disagree with the court on this one.
Yeah, Right. TIME is the big issue, in space.
on
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I agree -- NASA isn't stupid. But their motivation in using Windows and Windows programs seems to have been explicitly stated -- they wanted the astronauts to use programs with which they're already familiar.
Further, since Microsoft itself has admitted their OS's crash far more frequently than Solaris or Linux, it seems pretty silly to claim otherwise.
I've been involved with a highly competent Windows (3.x, 9x, etc.) support department (configuration, installation, etc.) for over three years at a good-sized university. My experience evidently diverges from yours strongly when it comes to OS stability.
As someone who has far more experience with DOS, Win 3.x and Win 9x than with Linux, I'd have to both agree and disagree with you.
It's pretty hard to beat a preconfigured computer, containing good productivity software, with a GUI interface (sorry, Ivan) for no-knowledge ease-of-use. My observation wasn't to disparage Windows in the ease-of-use category. I actually like Windows for this. I was simply pointing out that, according to Jon's account, a preconfigured Linux computer, at this stage, has both point-and-click ease of use and an element that encourages learning more about the computer than one needs to get limited tasks done. I feel the latter will automatically increase perceived ease-of-use.
So am I. I'd wager most hard-core cyberphiles have gone through this "thrill of learning" stuff -- in fact, it doesn't really end. It's neat to read about someone doing it for the first time. Kinda takes me back.
Don't give up, Jon. I'm thoroughly enjoying your writing.
By the way, a question -- how much of the difficulty you've experienced could you actually attribute to Linux? It sounds to me that actually getting Linux to do work for you hasn't been the tough part -- the ravages of hardware have been the culprit. Kinda puts the lie to the "Linux has a steep learning curve" argument, I think.
Perhaps the coolest thing about your account is the fact that, at the same time you've actually gotten work done with very little effort, you've developed an interest in and knowledge of the innards of your system. This is truly intriguing. One could make a convincing argument that Linux is easier to use than, say a MS-OS, because it combines ease of use with real learning. Wholly beneficial in the long run.
But unless the OS or some boot program does it automatically, most people probably won't.
Why do you think Internet Explorer has gained so much market share? Because of high program quality? I'd submit it's because most people running Windows don't bother to install anything else. Same situation, IMHO. Noone forces you to use it. But the average soul either doesn't know enough not to, or simply doesn't want to be troubled to make the change.
No, the PSN won't be "officially" tied to a person. The point is, due to the fact that people tend to keep the same processor for a least a little while, commercial entities using the Internet will be able to effectively tie given PSN's to individuals, enabling people-tracking (along with associated gathered data) on a scale not even approached by SSN's.
Why do I believe this? Simple -- companies are motivated by economic incentives. The incentives of massive "know your customer" programs are too good to pass up.
As the article referenced details quite well, Intel is not necessarily the problem. Their intentions are (IMHO) most likely harmless at the least, pro-security at the most. The point is, according to Intel's own information, virtually anyone else will be able to access the PSN as well, and use it for tracking whatever they wish. What distinguishes this form of tracking is its immutability.
Data warehousing is not a small privacy problem. Economic incentives for commercial entities to know every aspect of consumers, and share that information with other commercial entities, are strong. The problem this "feature" creates is that it provides an easily-used, hard to avoid means of identifying individuals over the 'net.
I think the thermal random number generator is a neat idea. The processor serial number is a disaster, by contrast.
The last I heard, the other fellow is right. Windows 2000 is intended to merge the desktop (Win9x) and server (WinNT) lines. This is one reason W2k is going to be so huge. Of course, if Microsoft says they intend to publish something else for the desktop, I guess that's what they intend to do.:^)
As an aside, I find it quite amusing to see two people arguing with and insulting each other anonymously.
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One could literally teach oneself BASIC, Assembly and all kinds of programming tricks with those things.
If documentation of that quality were available for today's PC's, I would cry for joy.
Kythe
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If it does run Windows 98, it will crash 60,000 times faster :)
Kythe
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The point of using microwaves, of course, is that such wavelengths are easily absorbed by water molecules, which tend to be prevalent in food. But that doesn't mean that any microwave radiation will cook food. Quantity, not just quality, counts.
Kythe
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Thanks for the comment. Since I was the one who started the petition, let me state (for your edification, if not your education) that 1) I most certainly understand the issue, and especially the technology, 2) I have nothing to do with "E-the People" -- they simply run a site that met my needs, 3) my outrage is hardly "fad-driven" -- I assure you, it's genuine, and is driven not by a desire to "ride others' hard work" (I work quite hard myself, thank you) but to guarantee that hard work is not circumvented by silly legal tricks and tactics, 4) if you're going to try to dissuade folks from expressing their opinion, perhaps a solid argument on the issue would be more appropriate.
Kythe
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Actually, I've just started a petition at E-the people, titled "bogus patent problem". See if it meets what you're thinking of.
Kythe
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The real speed demons were the old tape drives. What was the throughput on those, 'anyone remember? Maybe about 10 kB/minute? Kids today just don't know how easy they've got it... ;^)
One could do some pretty funky things with those 1541 drives. The on-board processor and memory made for some fun times.
Kythe
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Can't say I really disagree with the court on this one.
Kythe
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I miss the "Commodore-64 2-second boot" days.
Kythe
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Further, since Microsoft itself has admitted their OS's crash far more frequently than Solaris or Linux, it seems pretty silly to claim otherwise.
I've been involved with a highly competent Windows (3.x, 9x, etc.) support department (configuration, installation, etc.) for over three years at a good-sized university. My experience evidently diverges from yours strongly when it comes to OS stability.
Kythe
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OK, OK, nevermind.
Kythe
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It's pretty hard to beat a preconfigured computer, containing good productivity software, with a GUI interface (sorry, Ivan) for no-knowledge ease-of-use. My observation wasn't to disparage Windows in the ease-of-use category. I actually like Windows for this. I was simply pointing out that, according to Jon's account, a preconfigured Linux computer, at this stage, has both point-and-click ease of use and an element that encourages learning more about the computer than one needs to get limited tasks done. I feel the latter will automatically increase perceived ease-of-use.
Kythe
(Remove "x"'s from
Don't give up, Jon. I'm thoroughly enjoying your writing.
By the way, a question -- how much of the difficulty you've experienced could you actually attribute to Linux? It sounds to me that actually getting Linux to do work for you hasn't been the tough part -- the ravages of hardware have been the culprit. Kinda puts the lie to the "Linux has a steep learning curve" argument, I think.
Perhaps the coolest thing about your account is the fact that, at the same time you've actually gotten work done with very little effort, you've developed an interest in and knowledge of the innards of your system. This is truly intriguing. One could make a convincing argument that Linux is easier to use than, say a MS-OS, because it combines ease of use with real learning. Wholly beneficial in the long run.
Kythe
(Remove "x"'s from
But unless the OS or some boot program does it automatically, most people probably won't.
Why do you think Internet Explorer has gained so much market share? Because of high program quality? I'd submit it's because most people running Windows don't bother to install anything else. Same situation, IMHO. Noone forces you to use it. But the average soul either doesn't know enough not to, or simply doesn't want to be troubled to make the change.
Kythe
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How often do you buy a new processor?
Kythe
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Why do I believe this? Simple -- companies are motivated by economic incentives. The incentives of massive "know your customer" programs are too good to pass up.
Kythe
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As people don't tend to buy new computers daily (or even monthly), the PSN will effectively be tied to you, the person, as well.
Kythe
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Data warehousing is not a small privacy problem. Economic incentives for commercial entities to know every aspect of consumers, and share that information with other commercial entities, are strong. The problem this "feature" creates is that it provides an easily-used, hard to avoid means of identifying individuals over the 'net.
I think the thermal random number generator is a neat idea. The processor serial number is a disaster, by contrast.
Kythe
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As an aside, I find it quite amusing to see two people arguing with and insulting each other anonymously.
Kythe
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Awesome article, Jon, and right on the mark, IMHO.
Kythe
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