I would only be slighly annoyed if it wasnt for the fact that WGA appears to have 100% failure rate.
All my legit machines at work bought from PC World Business dept rate as fake, while the dodgy copies I
bought from a guy with a stall in a sidestreet near the computer fair for £5 appear to be genuine.
I laugh at MS 'piracy' statistics. Made up ones would be more reliable.
Maybe MS is demonstating the
value of its patent on the "Logical-Not operator".
I worked for four years or more in a company that made thyristor based control gear that reduced the voltage to just the amount needed to keep the motor running. It was capable of reacting fast enough to load changes to work on the presses that stamp out Ford bumpers.
The company went bust because, although client companies who bought it saved up to 30% of their power, most did not want to know.
"We dont care about energy saving - it might break down, and then we would lose production."
It was not unreliable: It was used to mill the corn for a well known cornflake manufacturer;->
There is a major problem getting people to buy energy saving in industry.
Its not much better in the domestic area.
I later worked on domestic energy saving equipment which, here in the UK could alone save enough energy to meet the Kyoto treaty requirements. I got it working but the backers pulled out after a government backed Quango said "Ohms law does not apply in the UK"
I played Adventure (Colossal Cave) over DECNet in the 1980's, and I suspect
the technology to do this existed ten years earlier, I just had no access to it.
My father described playing "Battleships" over the phone network during WW2. No
computers were involved, but WTF.
This patent is so obvious you dont even
need to be experienced in the art. You dont even need to be an adult.
Perhaps there needs to be a class action against the USPTO by victims of stupid patents?
Because in reality, it costs $4.99 to make the chip, and $10,000,000 to design it.
The cost of designing one core is the same as the cost of designing 10 or
100 cores, because copy and paste was invented several years ago. The cost of adding
a core to the design is about 1%.
There might be a case for powering down unused processors to save energy, and there
is a case for selling cheaper processors with reduced core counts where some cores
don't work, but there is no case for disabling working processeors for economic
reasons.
Sun's Niagra technology differs, cos it has "virtual cores" which gives you more
virtual cores but slower. Its very good if you multi-thread (run apache) and p*ss-
poor if you dont (run Windows).
"Digital Photo Frames" is a polite term for "Pornograph". The whole point of these devices
os to view the pr0n on your USB key - why else would you want one?
We will never convince Joe Sixpack. But I know a man who can!
KDE, configured with Windows mode and Redmond theme, needs a lot
less retraining than Vista, and their old machine will run faster
than a new one (if you disable the eye-candy).
In the past 12 months, I have had many occasions when freinds or family have been unable
to open Word files (possibly because they are old, we dont know) or edit tables
with newer versions of Word, and the answer is OpenOffice! Files open, and tables edit.
MS products are becoming so annoying
that even Joanne Sixpack is ready to jump ship.
Anyone bringing me a 'puter with a virus is told their options are
A) Go an buy a new computer with Windows, and dont bring it to me when its reinfected
b) Buy a Mac (Free training available from most teenagers in the family)
c) I will install the Linux of their choice (Thir choice is Ubuntu:-) or FreeBSD - if
all they want is to read e-mail and word files, then as much training as they want - one
bottle of Henessey brandy per evening.
d) Take it to someone else who will charge the price of a "new" (ie second hand) computer
to reinstall Windows, whereupon, in all probability, it willl immediately get the same virus
from the same place, since none of us know where it came from .
No further options availaable.
We all known it was the teeenagers accessing pr0n wot done it, but experience shows
that even if they dont do it twice, and they mostly do,
the preteens will be teenagers in a year or two. Some people never grow up.
It does no harm to explain
that the problem is IE, and they should have been using FireFox if they dont want this
kind of grief.
All teenagers are allowed to get the hint that viewing pr0n via Firefox is
safer because it will reduce thee risk of parents being able to check their viewing history.
Using Linux will allow them to learn where the hidden histories are and delete them with
certainty.Once they hear it will also allow them to be confident that their siblings cant
view their "secret" data, generally they don't need this hint repeated.
On hearing the list of choices, they have only one question: "which would you recommend" to which
the answer is obviously "Buy a Mac". Most look at the prices of Macs and then elect for (c). Some
buy a Mac. Some go and get someone else to reinstall Windows, and then gome back for (C) a few
months later.
If anyone brings me a computer for devirusing a second time, it joins the others in the cupboard under the stairs.
If they want a demonstration of Linux, tough, but I have three machines running FreeBSD in the front room,
and I dont expect they can tell the difference.
Do you REALLY think that you're not better off than someone 20 years ago,
I know for sure! 20 years ago, one parent could work 3 days a week as an IT consultant, and
earn their employer ten times what they were paid, while being paid double what was needed to
support a family of three.
Today, both parents need to work, and the kids work too (also in IT) and is hard to pay the bills.
This is in the UK, not America, but I bet things are similar.
Part of the reason is that in IT, managers cannot tell the difference between someone who
designs jet engines, and the baggage handler, so they offer baggage handler pay to the entire aircraft
design team and think they are being thrifty.
The vast majority of PC buyers certainly don't use Windows 98.
Maybe not in the USA, but here in Europe, once you have bought a PC, you go on using it until it ceases to work, unless you are a hard core gamer. Since it doesnt need new tyres or exhaust, there is nothing wrong with the old one. Once it dies, its time to get a new one. Then you ask a tech-minded family member what to buy - and he, mindfull of the possibiities of virus-related support calls, says "Get a Mac". Unless he doesnt know what a Mac is, in which case, he says get something that does not have Vista on.
Of course, this advise is not understood, and a week later, he has to install an OEM copy of XP supplied by a local computer fair.
Yes, my wife's cousin knows someone who likes Vista, but she has a very expensive HP laptop, and does not know how to use Word.
I AM the customer, I want Sun to support their own video cards. I want them to support the Creator3D and the ATI rage cards they sell with Sparc64 systems so that they work properly in text mode as well as grapics mode at boot time in the OpenBoot prom. Not, I would argue, very demanding.
(Actually I'd like them supported on OpenBSD, which they now claim to support, as well)
Slashdot Mirror
I doubt even Chuck Norris could make sco profitable.
If the suspicions is of price rigging through threats to media markt, then perhaps there will be incriminating e-mails.
OTOH, We dont need incriminating e-mails to know that Lexmark are guilty - why not just fine them - a lot - I'd love lower taxes!
All my legit machines at work bought from PC World Business dept rate as fake, while the dodgy copies I bought from a guy with a stall in a sidestreet near the computer fair for £5 appear to be genuine.
I laugh at MS 'piracy' statistics. Made up ones would be more reliable.
Maybe MS is demonstating the value of its patent on the "Logical-Not operator".
The company went bust because, although client companies who bought it saved up to 30% of their power, most did not want to know.
"We dont care about energy saving - it might break down, and then we would lose production."
It was not unreliable: It was used to mill the corn for a well known cornflake manufacturer ;->
There is a major problem getting people to buy energy saving in industry.
Its not much better in the domestic area. I later worked on domestic energy saving equipment which, here in the UK could alone save enough energy to meet the Kyoto treaty requirements. I got it working but the backers pulled out after a government backed Quango said "Ohms law does not apply in the UK"
As research goes, this ranks along with the "discovery" that alcohol makes students drunk.
Vote for scum - everyone else does!
On second thoughts, maybe I'd prefer Ron Jeremy
which is how a lot of us in Europe think America is run today!
If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck - them Dont *%$& vote for it!
My father described playing "Battleships" over the phone network during WW2. No computers were involved, but WTF.
This patent is so obvious you dont even need to be experienced in the art. You dont even need to be an adult.
Perhaps there needs to be a class action against the USPTO by victims of stupid patents?
Expect the entire database to be for sale world-wide in weeks.
And buy some EDS shares NOW.
Before or after intelligent congressCritters?
Not as scary as the secretary using MS visualGenome drag and drop while painting her fingernails!
Well tough - we use PostgreSQL already!
Not everyone lives in the USA, and the rules are different in other countries!
(Some of us actually do roam!)
Ron Paul? Isnt he that porn star with the big dick?
Are computer games that addictive? Or are some people just crap at parenting?
I suspect this is a new version of "the devil made me do it!"
Dont hold your breath!
For "continuity of supply". I have been shafted twice by Oracle.
What happens if you products such as Oracle Power Objects?
Open Source is always available, Closed source all to easily becomes Open Drain (as in "down the").
And yes I do write transactiona, database applications for a bank. (and yes, I do use PostGreSQL).
The cost of designing one core is the same as the cost of designing 10 or 100 cores, because copy and paste was invented several years ago. The cost of adding a core to the design is about 1%.
There might be a case for powering down unused processors to save energy, and there is a case for selling cheaper processors with reduced core counts where some cores don't work, but there is no case for disabling working processeors for economic reasons.
Sun's Niagra technology differs, cos it has "virtual cores" which gives you more virtual cores but slower. Its very good if you multi-thread (run apache) and p*ss- poor if you dont (run Windows).
"Digital Photo Frames" is a polite term for "Pornograph". The whole point of these devices os to view the pr0n on your USB key - why else would you want one?
In the past 12 months, I have had many occasions when freinds or family have been unable to open Word files (possibly because they are old, we dont know) or edit tables with newer versions of Word, and the answer is OpenOffice! Files open, and tables edit. MS products are becoming so annoying that even Joanne Sixpack is ready to jump ship.
Anyone bringing me a 'puter with a virus is told their options are
A) Go an buy a new computer with Windows, and dont bring it to me when its reinfected
b) Buy a Mac (Free training available from most teenagers in the family)
c) I will install the Linux of their choice (Thir choice is Ubuntu :-) or FreeBSD - if
all they want is to read e-mail and word files, then as much training as they want - one
bottle of Henessey brandy per evening.
d) Take it to someone else who will charge the price of a "new" (ie second hand) computer to reinstall Windows, whereupon, in all probability, it willl immediately get the same virus from the same place, since none of us know where it came from .
No further options availaable.
We all known it was the teeenagers accessing pr0n wot done it, but experience shows that even if they dont do it twice, and they mostly do, the preteens will be teenagers in a year or two. Some people never grow up.
It does no harm to explain that the problem is IE, and they should have been using FireFox if they dont want this kind of grief.
All teenagers are allowed to get the hint that viewing pr0n via Firefox is safer because it will reduce thee risk of parents being able to check their viewing history. Using Linux will allow them to learn where the hidden histories are and delete them with certainty.Once they hear it will also allow them to be confident that their siblings cant view their "secret" data, generally they don't need this hint repeated.
On hearing the list of choices, they have only one question: "which would you recommend" to which the answer is obviously "Buy a Mac". Most look at the prices of Macs and then elect for (c). Some buy a Mac. Some go and get someone else to reinstall Windows, and then gome back for (C) a few months later.
If anyone brings me a computer for devirusing a second time, it joins the others in the cupboard under the stairs.
If they want a demonstration of Linux, tough, but I have three machines running FreeBSD in the front room, and I dont expect they can tell the difference.
I know for sure! 20 years ago, one parent could work 3 days a week as an IT consultant, and earn their employer ten times what they were paid, while being paid double what was needed to support a family of three.
Today, both parents need to work, and the kids work too (also in IT) and is hard to pay the bills.
This is in the UK, not America, but I bet things are similar.
Part of the reason is that in IT, managers cannot tell the difference between someone who designs jet engines, and the baggage handler, so they offer baggage handler pay to the entire aircraft design team and think they are being thrifty.
If anything is going to kill MS its botnets. Surely its the Department of Gnomeland Security's responsibility to remove botnets by removing Windows?
Maybe not in the USA, but here in Europe, once you have bought a PC,
you go on using it until it ceases to work, unless you are a hard core
gamer. Since it doesnt need new tyres or exhaust, there is nothing wrong
with the old one. Once it dies, its time to get a new one. Then you ask
a tech-minded family member what to buy - and he, mindfull of the
possibiities of virus-related support calls, says "Get a Mac". Unless
he doesnt know what a Mac is, in which case, he says get something
that does not have Vista on.
Of course, this advise is not understood, and a week later, he has
to install an OEM copy of XP supplied by a local computer fair.
Yes, my wife's cousin knows someone who likes Vista, but she has
a very expensive HP laptop, and does not know how to use Word.
(Actually I'd like them supported on OpenBSD, which they now claim to support, as well)