After reading this article, I was wondering whether it would be possible for Open Source API developers to place a clause in the license agreement prohibiting patents placed on software that use their API?
After all, if you create an API that is built from modular blocks with the expectation that users will use these to build more complex systems, a third party developer can't really file a patent on a particular combination of such blocks, as you could always implement a single block that performed such a task.
One of the most time consuming processes in image process is the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) and theIFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform). For digital images, the DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform) can be used instead. These are used to implement many types of image processing calculation (convolution, image sharpening/blurring and texture classification). However, due to precision requirements, all calculations must use 64-bit floating point values (doubles) in order to guarantee accuracy. Although, since each colour channel is actually represented as a complex number, having textures with eight channels wouldn't be a bad thing either).
I meant the low budget wireless booster cans, with the extra spicy cajun flavour. Our research team spent a weekend determining which cans were more efficient (the original flavor, sour cream and onion, sweet mesquite BBQ, or cheese and onion). So far, there seems to be no difference due to flavor. However, we may have to repeat the experiments, just to make sure weather conditions didn't have any influence on the results.
The over-the-air connection went to an unmodified Sony Ericsson T610 at a distance of 'about 3,300 feet' and they transferred a few pictures. This test was to a paired device pre-configured for the built-in ObexFTP access, but the implication is that now it's easy to Bluesnarf without even being near the target phone."
And they haven't even started using Pringles cans yet.
Hmmmm. I don't think you should eat magic mushrooms and read slashdot at the same time. It wouldn't be good to have your kernel killed by a hallucinogenically distorted page fault.
I remember reading the announcement back then. It's a shame it never seemed to take off (OK, Alias and Wavefront did merge, but that was due more to Microsoft buying out Softimage, who have since been sold to Avid). Back then, SGI Indy workstations still didn't support OpenGL with hardware texture mapping, and console systems didn't have the memory to support high detail/resolution models. It didn't help that SGI workstations where so expensive, which allowed Micrsoft to muscle Windows NT in with the claim that "UNIX is dying".Maybe now with vertex and fragment programs that allow RenderMan shaders to be translated straight from the art package to the hardware, this might work out. Development tools were Sony's weak point with the PS.
For starters, I don't understand why there is a necessity to constantly re-invent the wheel and create gaming engines from scratch just about each time a new game is released.
Because programmers enjoy the challenge of pushing metal to the limit. And for those people who have the skills and experience to do such work, companies are willing to pay extremely good money. Whenever a team finishes a project, everyone already knows at least ten things they could do better or would like to add to improve the title. Plus rewriting an engine from scratch helps keep a clean, while getting rid of any crufty glue code that may have crept in during the previous project. Not forgetting that the hardware is constantly changing. Look at the evolution of the OpenGL extensions: from matrix blending to vertex programs and from register combiners to fragment programs.
Most of the major titles reuse their development tools (racing titles, sports) and just add new features. Audio, image and compression libraries only need to be written once.
My point is that we need a return to the good old days of the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum & Amiga when it was possible for "bedroom programmers" to create good quality games. Sure, games were much smaller then but that's why game development environments like XNA, SDL, etc. exist now in order to cut down the development times.
"Bedroom programmers" haven't gone away, they're writing open source games. If you have a Linux system, have a look at all the open-source games available (either under kde-toys or at freshmeat.org).
Sounds like the kind of sabre-rattling corporations do, when they want to negotiate a new contract with better discounts. Have other corporations threatened to move to Linux when they wanted lower license fees from Microsoft?
There was once an article about one of the first patient to receive a mechanical heart valve, who was travelling by air. Apparently, the security staff wouldn't let him onto the plane due to the ticking noise they heard emanating from his chest cavity. The patient had to call up the hospital and get confirmation from the doctor. On later flights he had to carry a certificate in his passport explaining the source of the noise.
In the UK, mad cow Disease only started becoming prevalent when the government at the time relaxed the centuries old bye-laws preventing the re-use of nervous tissue (cow brains). This was all part of the program to "cut the red-tape of beauracracy".
Once a ban was put back in place, the number of new cases in people started to decline (although a great many people also stopped eating beef), although nobody is sure if there is going to be a epidemic in the future or not.
But of course, such patents would be free to use for developers of Windows applications, but charged a hefty license for developers using non-standard operating systems.
128-bit addressing would allow you to pass four IEEE 32-bit floating point values simultaneously (enough to support 4x4 matrix/vector calculations), RGBA processing. This would boost the performance of 3D modelling/animation/CAD/image-processing applications.
The argument against this is that such processing is better done on dedicated hardware such as a GPU, rather than on an input-processing CPU. But I'm sure developers would find a way of load-balancing between the different processors.
(then again, is reading novels for fun that contructive?
If you look around you're neighborhood, you're bound to find at least one bookstore/cafe which allows customers to read novels while eating/drinking. To me this seemed a good way to find someone who shared your interests in reading.
... if Windows had an "update required" icon as used by Red Hat Linux/Fedora Core (and others). To me, this seems to be the optimum solution. It's not updating files without your knowledge (Windows Update), and you are informed at every stage of the process as to what changes are taking place.
The only way this could be made any simpler is if you had a happy face for a system with all updates installed, an unhappy face when there were new updates available, and an angry face when no updates had been made in several weeks/months.
I once bought a 20" TV in Canada, which was really cool because it had a message feature, where you could type in a message and have it scroll across the screen at a particular time. I moved to the USA, and the same make of TV (and model number) didn't have this feature:(
You're probably looking for the paper titled "Physical Mechanisms of the Rogue Wave Phenomenon" by Christian Kharif and Efim Pelinovsky. It includes several photographs of rogue waves, and all the derived mathematical equations.
Thanks for the link. I downloaded and ran the software. Within 20 minutes, I was able to get rid of all those engrammic pollutants, memetic pollutants, and mind-control signals from entering my mind. Even the simplest thoughts now run over 125% faster. My friends and neighbours immediately noticed the difference and asked if I could take a look into their minds to see if there was anything needed fixing. I went over to their house and ran a quick mindscan. Nothing suspicious found, but it's best to be on the safe side. The sysadmin's at work are insisting that all workers have the genuine MindGuard installed on all computers at the offce, especially those being taken home (office workers relaxing at home are apparently more susceptible to psychotronic mind control.
Slashdot Mirror
That's why 70% of his time was playing solitaire,
10% was checking the stock market.
The remaining 20% was unavailable due to the blue screen of death.
After reading this article, I was wondering whether it would be possible for Open Source API developers to place a clause in the license agreement prohibiting patents placed on software that use their API?
After all, if you create an API that is built from modular blocks with the expectation that users will use these to build more complex systems, a third party developer can't really file a patent on a particular combination of such blocks, as you could always implement a single block that performed such a task.
One of the most time consuming processes in image process is the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) and theIFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform). For digital images, the DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform) can be used instead. These are used to implement many types of image processing calculation (convolution, image sharpening/blurring and texture classification). However, due to precision requirements, all calculations must use 64-bit floating point values (doubles) in order to guarantee accuracy. Although, since each colour channel is actually represented as a complex number, having textures with eight channels wouldn't be a bad thing either).
Yes, but they keep the sound down, so nobody can hear a word being said.
I meant the low budget wireless booster cans, with the extra spicy cajun flavour. Our research team spent a weekend determining which cans were more efficient (the original flavor, sour cream and onion, sweet mesquite BBQ, or cheese and onion). So far, there seems to be no difference due to flavor. However, we may have to repeat the experiments, just to make sure weather conditions didn't have any influence on the results.
The over-the-air connection went to an unmodified Sony Ericsson T610 at a distance of 'about 3,300 feet' and they transferred a few pictures. This test was to a paired device pre-configured for the built-in ObexFTP access, but the implication is that now it's easy to Bluesnarf without even being near the target phone."
And they haven't even started using Pringles cans yet.
Hmmmm. I don't think you should eat magic mushrooms and read slashdot at the same time. It wouldn't be good to have your kernel killed by a hallucinogenically distorted page fault.
I remember reading the announcement back then. It's a shame it never seemed to take off (OK, Alias and Wavefront did merge, but that was due more to Microsoft buying out Softimage, who have since been sold to Avid). .Maybe now with vertex and fragment programs that allow RenderMan shaders to be translated straight from the art package to the hardware, this might work out. Development tools were Sony's weak point with the PS.
Back then, SGI Indy workstations still didn't support OpenGL with hardware texture mapping, and console systems didn't have the memory to support high detail/resolution models. It didn't help that SGI workstations where so expensive, which allowed Micrsoft to muscle Windows NT in with the claim that "UNIX is dying"
For starters, I don't understand why there is a necessity to constantly re-invent the wheel and create gaming engines from scratch just about each time a new game is released.
Because programmers enjoy the challenge of pushing metal to the limit. And for those people who have the skills and experience to do such work, companies are willing to pay extremely good money. Whenever a team finishes a project, everyone already knows at least ten things they could do better or would like to add to improve the title.
Plus rewriting an engine from scratch helps keep a clean, while getting rid of any crufty glue code that may have crept in during the previous project. Not forgetting that the hardware is constantly changing. Look at the evolution of the OpenGL extensions: from matrix blending to vertex programs and from register combiners to fragment programs.
Most of the major titles reuse their development tools (racing titles, sports) and just add new features. Audio, image and compression libraries only need to be written once.
My point is that we need a return to the good old days of the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum & Amiga when it was possible for "bedroom programmers" to create good quality games. Sure, games were much smaller then but that's why game development environments like XNA, SDL, etc. exist now in order to cut down the development times.
"Bedroom programmers" haven't gone away, they're writing open source games. If you have a Linux system, have a look at all the open-source games available (either under kde-toys or at freshmeat.org).
Sounds like the kind of sabre-rattling corporations do, when they want to negotiate a new contract with better discounts. Have other corporations threatened to move to Linux when they wanted lower license fees from Microsoft?
There was once an article about one of the first patient to receive a mechanical heart valve, who was travelling by air. Apparently, the security staff wouldn't let him onto the plane due to the ticking noise they heard emanating from his chest cavity. The patient had to call up the hospital and get confirmation from the doctor. On later flights he had to carry a certificate in his passport explaining the source of the noise.
In the UK, mad cow Disease only started becoming prevalent when the government at the time relaxed the centuries old bye-laws preventing the re-use of nervous tissue (cow brains). This was all part of the program to "cut the red-tape of beauracracy".
Once a ban was put back in place, the number of new cases in people started to decline (although a great many people also stopped eating beef), although nobody is sure if there is going to be a epidemic in the future or not.
But of course, such patents would be free to use for developers of Windows applications, but charged a hefty license for developers using non-standard operating systems.
I think this was meant to be funny, not flamebait. Whoever is forgetting to pack the manuals in the boxes needs to be fired.
Ooops... Yes, I note that CPU's like the Athlon FX and Opteron series both feature a 128-bit data bus.
128-bit addressing would allow you to pass four IEEE 32-bit floating point values simultaneously (enough to support 4x4 matrix/vector calculations), RGBA processing. This would boost the performance of 3D modelling/animation/CAD/image-processing applications.
The argument against this is that such processing is better done on dedicated hardware such as a GPU, rather than on an input-processing CPU. But I'm sure developers would find a way of load-balancing between the different processors.
(then again, is reading novels for fun that contructive?
If you look around you're neighborhood, you're bound to find at least one bookstore/cafe which allows customers to read novels while eating/drinking. To me this seemed a good way to find someone who shared your interests in reading.
... if Windows had an "update required" icon as used by Red Hat Linux/Fedora Core (and others). To me, this seems to be the optimum solution. It's not updating files without your knowledge (Windows Update), and you are informed at every stage of the process as to what changes are taking place.
The only way this could be made any simpler is if you had a happy face for a system with all updates installed, an unhappy face when there were new updates available, and an angry face when no updates had been made in several weeks/months.
I once bought a 20" TV in Canada, which was really cool because it had a message feature, where you could type in a message and have it scroll across the screen at a particular time. I moved to the USA, and the same make of TV (and model number) didn't have this feature :(
You're probably looking for the paper titled "Physical Mechanisms of the Rogue Wave Phenomenon"
by Christian Kharif and Efim Pelinovsky. It includes several photographs of rogue waves, and all the derived mathematical equations.
"A brain the size of a planet, and all I'm doing is hosting online geek discussions".
You could try going to www.googolplex.com and www.googolplexian.com
There are plenty of 00000000's there.
Microsoft's Japanese Division reported that its upcoming operating system, code-named Longhorn, will support HD DVD format.
How else would we be able to download and install all the new features and security patches?
Thanks for the link. I downloaded and ran the software. Within 20 minutes, I was able to get rid of all those engrammic pollutants, memetic pollutants, and mind-control signals from entering my mind. Even the simplest thoughts now run over 125% faster. My friends and neighbours immediately noticed the difference and asked if I could take a look into their minds to see if there was anything needed fixing. I went over to their house and ran a quick mindscan. Nothing suspicious found, but it's best to be on the safe side. The sysadmin's at work are insisting that all workers have the genuine MindGuard installed on all computers at the offce, especially those being taken home (office workers relaxing at home are apparently more susceptible to psychotronic mind control.
For steady soothing music, surely it would be possible to have synthetically created music by machine?
Alternatively, dentists could always provide patients with a CD player and a set of headphones (my Canadian dentist used to do that).
Alternatively, they could always charge anyone from the music industry an additional "music played while undergoing treatment charge".