Yes, Ditzel would want to show Transmeta as pandering to the Windows market - after all, how can a HW manufacturer stay in business if it doesn't?
But remember: there will be a fast-growing market for non-DRMed CPUs. If Transmeta play their cards right [get better marketing and business managers, dammit!], they can show the PHBs of the world why it is a bad idea to invest in hardware that they do not have full control over.
Intel and AMD have both signed on to Microsoft's Palladium program. We need a chip maker who hasn't succumbed to this yet.
A crappy marketing strategy is no reason to write off an innovative technology [and yes, for once I believe the word is used rightly here.] The lower power consumption specs don't hurt either.
Does anyone...know if there have been really improvements made? I last checked in RC3, and the sound quality was _definitely_ worse than MP3 at high bitrates.
Ogg 1.0 contains many improvements over RC3, not only in terms of quality but speed. The hi-fi forum hydrogenaudio.org has a running poll which shows most Ogg users encode at -q 6. This averages out at ~192 kbps and generally is indistinguishable from the original [unless you are of the monster-ear audiophile species.] You certainly won't miss anything with your sound setup.
Get the optimised win32 binaries [and OggdropXPd] from John33's website.
When I upgraded my motherboard and changed my processor it didn't have a network connection, but activating consisted of calling the number, putting in the license number I had, and entering a new number that was read off to me by the machine.
What guarantee exists that 10 years from now, Microsoft will grant you the activation key? What if by then laws exist that state Windows XP does not contain strong-enough DRM and therefore has been outlawed?
I have only used bladeenc. Is there much of a difference?
Yes, as much difference exists between a Hyundai Excel and a Porsche:-)
Bladeenc is the worst MP3 encoder out there. Not only do its MP3s sound terrible, it is very slow at encoding. On the other hand, Fastenc has been the best offering from Fraunhofer [co-inventors of the MP3 format] so far. IMO, its 128 kbps MP3s remains unbeaten by any other encoder's, not only quality-wise but also speed - on a Pentium 233, I was getting 3.2x realtime; on a Celeron 400, about 4.5x.
Note that Fraunhofer's codecs [a la l3enc and mp3enc] usually go for about $300-$400. Then consider Fastenc is free. Amazing, if not incomprehensible. I believe the Win32 standalone build was a fluke which was soon pulled off [hence the Geocities mirror]. Now it's only available as an inextricable part of other programs [CoolEdit 2000, MusicMatch etc.]
You will notice the difference between encoders if you know what to look out for: a warbling, swishy, underwater-like sound distortion is the most prominent artifact. Once you encode a few files with Fastenc and do a careful comparison with your old MP3s on a good set of headphones, you will never be able to tolerate BladeEnc again. No wonder Tord [the project maintainer] recently abandoned development.
If you're encoding at higher bitrates, I would recommend LAME, another GPL'd encoder which should be transparent at 170 kbps and above. The recommended setting is "--alt-preset standard", which should average out at 200 kbps.
But if space is important and you prefer 128 kbps, then Fastenc is the way to go. Note that it's Win32 only, but it should run fine under Wine.
For more information on audio encoding, quality comparisons and a lot more, visit Hydrogen Audio and ff123.net.
Finally, if you intend to rip music only for use on your computer, I would recommend Ogg Vorbis instead of MP3. Not only is it free in every sense of the term, it is possibly the highest quality audio encoder out there - even 100 kbps sounds transparent to most people. I switched a long time ago and have no regrets. Its only Achilles' Heel is hardware support [car players, portables and so on] but this should be addressed soon - Ogg users have been quite vocal about it:-)
Not all 128kbps is equal. A tuned LAME encoding at 128 will sound much better than everything out there.
Only if you choose to ignore FhG's encoders which are highly tuned for lower bitrates - they blow LAME out of the water in that aspect. Here's their only free encoder, Fastenc. Try it and tell me whether you agree.
My thoughts on Phoenix 0.3
on
Phoenix 0.3 Is Out
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I have been running this browser since I first heard of it, when Slashdot announced 0.1's release. Since then, I have been avidly using it alongside Moz nightlies and Opera 6.05. Put succinctly, Phoenix rocks. It's Mozilla minus a lot of the lard.
Reasons why I like it:
Speed: Phoenix loads in around 2-5 secs on my PII 366M w/128 MB RAM. Mozilla takes a leisurely 20-30 seconds. Hmmm...
Standards compliance: Since Phoenix has the same Gecko rendering engine from Moz, I am assured that it renders properly-coded sites very well [extensive support for CSS2 and DOM helps here]. This vastly improves rendering times [more on that later]. Lesser sites still come out quite proper with its Quirks rendering mode.
Rendering speed: It may not be evident to Moz users on slower machines, but Gecko can be blazingly fast given the right environment. Phoenix is fscking fast. Just as fast as IE, if not faster. Only Opera can claim to do one better, especially loading pages from cache. Opera is truly King in this arena.
Excellent XUL implementation: Phoenix has shown that XUL can be a viable alternative to using native widgets. Try it for yourself - it's much more responsive and fluid. And the customisable toolbar is a real treat. Worth downloading it for that feature alone. Hopefully Mozilla will pick up a few pointers here and merge them into its own codebase.
Satchel: a replacement for Moz's form manager, it works in a manner similar to IE, which IMO is more usable. Plus, Satchel is intended as a full replacement for the older, "bloated" form manager and eventually will cut down installer size and boost speed. One more boon for Mozilla.
Peace of mind: I refuse to use IE online for reasons of privacy. I do not know what it does with the info it gathers while one uses it. I have no idea if there are backdoors in it. Ad-aware detects at least one spyware component [Alexa] in default installs of IE 5.x and 6.0. The recent Sendmail and OpenSS? exploits notwithstanding, I feel much more comfortable using an open-source program when connected to the net.
Also try some of Phoenix's extensions. Highly recommended for tab lovers are the tabbed browsing extensions - so handy and sensible it should be part of the default install.
Now go to the website, get it and have fun - I know you will:-)
Then you do not visit it often enough, because it was announced there like everything. It was in fact on the homepage on August 20th...
Thanks for the correction. However, it is clear why so many missed the implications of that draft - nowhere does it mention RAND, and the summary is vague and seems rather innocuous.
...there is no reason to imply that the W3C was Bad[tm] in this respect.
I did clarify on that later - the implication was that certain influential elements in the W3C were the baddies.
Virtually all of them save IE and Opera implement the specs pretty well.
I agree with the former, but I must point out Opera has one of the strictest HTML engines out there, and it adheres to W3C standards very well. Its CSS support is just as good and well-featured. OTOH, IE has enough bugs in its rendering engine as to discourage some useful features [such as negative margins in CSS].
I feel Microsoft will continue this trend of marginally improving IE with each incremental release, but not as to be fully standards-compliant. This will ensure more people are on the upgrade treadmill, and they get more opportunities to sneak in that wonderful DRM software onto your machine.
You are aware that upgrading IE also updates your entire OS, don't you?
In addition to what TheRealMike has stated, you must realise that a greater number of website authors are becoming increasingly aware of the existence of W3C standards, and the benefits of using them - easier code maintenance, smaller filesizes, quicker downloads, greater consistency over a wide range of browsers and platforms [let's leave NS 4.x out of this, okay?], and most importantly - standards that are actually useful and very well-codified.
I use XHTML 1.1 + CSS for most websites I create for my friends, although I may temporarily switch to HTML 4.01 transitional for certain cases - use the best tool for the job, that's my motto.
Finally, there are nuts like me who will go out of their way to help the adoption of useful standards. In fact, I will soon be conducting a survey among website designers in my area to assess their knowledge and application of these standards, and spread the word.
Now only if Slashdot gave us an option to receive pages in valid XHTML 1.1 + CSS instead of the bloated, slow-to-render TABLE tag-filled clutter that it is right now.
Slashdot Mirror
I steal my Amigas.
[yes, that was in jest.]
Yes, Ditzel would want to show Transmeta as pandering to the Windows market - after all, how can a HW manufacturer stay in business if it doesn't?
But remember: there will be a fast-growing market for non-DRMed CPUs. If Transmeta play their cards right [get better marketing and business managers, dammit!], they can show the PHBs of the world why it is a bad idea to invest in hardware that they do not have full control over.
Thanks for the informative post.
Intel and AMD have both signed on to Microsoft's Palladium program. We need a chip maker who hasn't succumbed to this yet.
A crappy marketing strategy is no reason to write off an innovative technology [and yes, for once I believe the word is used rightly here.] The lower power consumption specs don't hurt either.
Ogg 1.0 contains many improvements over RC3, not only in terms of quality but speed. The hi-fi forum hydrogenaudio.org has a running poll which shows most Ogg users encode at -q 6. This averages out at ~192 kbps and generally is indistinguishable from the original [unless you are of the monster-ear audiophile species.] You certainly won't miss anything with your sound setup.
Get the optimised win32 binaries [and OggdropXPd] from John33's website.
*hugs* Where have you been??
That was quite funny. Too bad the mods didn't get the Ellen Feiss reference or ignored it, 'cause one's arse is about to be bitten by my metamodding.
Keep up the good work!
What guarantee exists that 10 years from now, Microsoft will grant you the activation key? What if by then laws exist that state Windows XP does not contain strong-enough DRM and therefore has been outlawed?
Think about it.
Authors who refuse to port their apps to Windows are the ones making me use it. Death to Andre Wiethoff! [naah, just kidding, EAC is a great program.]
They used to, then I took a course in marketing and learnt the art of manipulating perception. Now I don't have a small penis: I have a Compact Dick.
Works wonders.
The parent post is not offtopic, but informative. Instead of wasting your points on my post, use them to mod up the parent.
Thanks
CD
I believe the original poster is of Indian origin [Roshan is an Indian name], plus he adds "We dont have rich natural resources..."]
If so, couldn't we find some way to tap into the vast thermal power at the earth's core? Or do they not go deep enough?
They view the source to make sure only valid XHTML and CSS are used. Those that do get top scores :-)
I saw 'by Timothy' and opened this link to check if it would be another duplicate. I wasn't disappointed.
Don't worry, Tim. We still love ya
Dear Sir
there is no such word as "alot". Please use the proper form "a lot" instead.
This is not intended to inflame or troll, but to inform. Thank you for understanding and learning.
Regards
CD
that it makes an easy target when Prez Bush declares them as terrorists and orders their "removal" in order to protect our freedom.
Yes, as much difference exists between a Hyundai Excel and a Porsche
Bladeenc is the worst MP3 encoder out there. Not only do its MP3s sound terrible, it is very slow at encoding. On the other hand, Fastenc has been the best offering from Fraunhofer [co-inventors of the MP3 format] so far. IMO, its 128 kbps MP3s remains unbeaten by any other encoder's, not only quality-wise but also speed - on a Pentium 233, I was getting 3.2x realtime; on a Celeron 400, about 4.5x.
Note that Fraunhofer's codecs [a la l3enc and mp3enc] usually go for about $300-$400. Then consider Fastenc is free. Amazing, if not incomprehensible. I believe the Win32 standalone build was a fluke which was soon pulled off [hence the Geocities mirror]. Now it's only available as an inextricable part of other programs [CoolEdit 2000, MusicMatch etc.]
You will notice the difference between encoders if you know what to look out for: a warbling, swishy, underwater-like sound distortion is the most prominent artifact. Once you encode a few files with Fastenc and do a careful comparison with your old MP3s on a good set of headphones, you will never be able to tolerate BladeEnc again. No wonder Tord [the project maintainer] recently abandoned development.
If you're encoding at higher bitrates, I would recommend LAME, another GPL'd encoder which should be transparent at 170 kbps and above. The recommended setting is "--alt-preset standard", which should average out at 200 kbps.
But if space is important and you prefer 128 kbps, then Fastenc is the way to go. Note that it's Win32 only, but it should run fine under Wine.
For more information on audio encoding, quality comparisons and a lot more, visit Hydrogen Audio and ff123.net.
Finally, if you intend to rip music only for use on your computer, I would recommend Ogg Vorbis instead of MP3. Not only is it free in every sense of the term, it is possibly the highest quality audio encoder out there - even 100 kbps sounds transparent to most people. I switched a long time ago and have no regrets. Its only Achilles' Heel is hardware support [car players, portables and so on] but this should be addressed soon - Ogg users have been quite vocal about it
Have fun.
Only if you choose to ignore FhG's encoders which are highly tuned for lower bitrates - they blow LAME out of the water in that aspect. Here's their only free encoder, Fastenc. Try it and tell me whether you agree.
I have been running this browser since I first heard of it, when Slashdot announced 0.1's release. Since then, I have been avidly using it alongside Moz nightlies and Opera 6.05. Put succinctly, Phoenix rocks. It's Mozilla minus a lot of the lard.
Reasons why I like it:
Also try some of Phoenix's extensions. Highly recommended for tab lovers are the tabbed browsing extensions - so handy and sensible it should be part of the default install.
Now go to the website, get it and have fun - I know you will
will Andrew T. [Minix's creator] start another flame war? :-)
If you plan to stream music solely from independent artists who have no connection with the RIAA, then I suggest you ignore them altogether.
They should not have a say in matters that they had nothing to do with.
Kaii does mean 'hand' in Malayalam [which is the only language with a palindrome for a name, btw].
As for the pronunciation, just say "Ky" from "Kylie" [or "ki" from "Kinetic"].
Thanks for the correction. However, it is clear why so many missed the implications of that draft - nowhere does it mention RAND, and the summary is vague and seems rather innocuous.
I did clarify on that later - the implication was that certain influential elements in the W3C were the baddies.
More conspiracy fodder, I say!
I agree with the former, but I must point out Opera has one of the strictest HTML engines out there, and it adheres to W3C standards very well. Its CSS support is just as good and well-featured. OTOH, IE has enough bugs in its rendering engine as to discourage some useful features [such as negative margins in CSS].
I feel Microsoft will continue this trend of marginally improving IE with each incremental release, but not as to be fully standards-compliant. This will ensure more people are on the upgrade treadmill, and they get more opportunities to sneak in that wonderful DRM software onto your machine.
You are aware that upgrading IE also updates your entire OS, don't you?
In addition to what TheRealMike has stated, you must realise that a greater number of website authors are becoming increasingly aware of the existence of W3C standards, and the benefits of using them - easier code maintenance, smaller filesizes, quicker downloads, greater consistency over a wide range of browsers and platforms [let's leave NS 4.x out of this, okay?], and most importantly - standards that are actually useful and very well-codified.
I use XHTML 1.1 + CSS for most websites I create for my friends, although I may temporarily switch to HTML 4.01 transitional for certain cases - use the best tool for the job, that's my motto.
Finally, there are nuts like me who will go out of their way to help the adoption of useful standards. In fact, I will soon be conducting a survey among website designers in my area to assess their knowledge and application of these standards, and spread the word.
Now only if Slashdot gave us an option to receive pages in valid XHTML 1.1 + CSS instead of the bloated, slow-to-render TABLE tag-filled clutter that it is right now.