put co-op in doom3, I'm going to be very dissapointed.
I thought this was much more fun in the original doom then deathmatch.
doom was all about killing tons of guys, so co-op was easy. If they want to put it in doom3 they would probably have to position enemies different, or put more of them to make it interesting.
Of course warping your friend as soon as you finish the level isn't very realistic, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to make the exit trigger require the both players to be less then a certain distnace from the exit. It would also be fun to have "you go I go" style. Where if you buddy died you had to restart the level, or from the most recent co-op save. It might get tough with a team of 4 players.
Hopefully one of these days someone will put out a true co-op game. Maybe the single player of Counterstrike will turn out to be a good one. Although it won't be quite the traditional single player storyline type.
I agree. I miss the BBS. Instead of trying to start another internet. We should create new communities on it.
The great thing about BBS's where they where truely local. Because people didn't want to pay the long distance bills, they usually only called the one in the same town, etc.
We need to bring small local communities back to the internet. The best thing would be to create a BBS system, that could host many BBS, and easy to setup and customize your own. I'd love to be able to hit a BBS that was just setup for my friends, or maybe just for the few blocks around my house.
We are thinking about this problem in general terms. I think most of imagine a pc running linux or windows with a flash interface. Although this is the most cost effective it is not really required. I would rather see a simple almost gaming console like approach.
You have to come into a voting center. The main reason is because the voter and the vote can not be linked in anyway. You have to come in and say "I'm here", then say "I voted", but the actual voting card is not connected to you ( other then fingerprints possibly ).
This portion is already in place and could be better automated. It is also a good use of the new federal id cards, if they come around.
The next problem is making sure the vote gets counted correctly and can be audited. My idea would be use a touch screen or whatever, but just have it print out a report that is fancier then a punch card. NO more hanging chad problem.
You see a very clear report, if you don't understand it you can read the information cards that explain it, or ask someone to look at it for you and make sure it okay. If people are really concerned about their vote they won't mind if a complete stranger, who is doing volunteer work looks at their vote. If you make someone say verify their vote 3 or 4 times in different formats, chances are anyone will catch errors, of course not everyone.
The reports have some kind of bar code, but a code that is verifiable via the eye. So you can look at the output of the report, and at the bar code and say that is okay. This could be done by a party that never saw the person who voted, so the vote would be audited before even entering the system. Of course if there is a problem the vote has to be thrown out, that is a scary thought. Or maybe they could look at the output of the report and re-type the barcode. Of course these procedures would need to be noted, and possibly video taped. They could be audited later to make sure they where handled correctly.
Then the report is scanned into the computer, record per record. At the same time it is put in a container. At the end of the day there should not be anymore records in the database, then in the containers. If you could scan these in again and see if one was missed, or one was counted twice.
At this point the counts are pritned out or electronically transfered to a central station where they can be aggregated and the winner determined. In the case of the presidency for the current state.
Electronics should be used to make it more accurate, and help humans, but I feel really bad about virtually voting. Having the piece of paper, the document is important to me.
I'm a DBA so I do trust the system, but I also no that when you start dealing with huge sets of data, the chances of error go up. If it can happen, it will, and with software you don't always no what can happen.
Also, I think the fact that CNN, etc. misreported the problem exposed how stupid it is to just not wait a day or so. I know we are all anxious to find out our new president is or whatever, but I'd rather not go through the Bush/Gore crap again.
Eventually someone will write a ripper that downloads track times from the intenert, and then literally plays the cd and records/breaks it up. Sure it takes an hour to rip a cd, but it is still possible. And all it takes is one person to do that to mp3, and then everyone can convert and burn to a cd. This is so pointless. People are going to steal no matter what.
If you want to stop it ( or at least reduce it), put out better music, and sell it for less. I'm tired of paying $16 for a CD, and then 50 for a concert ticket. How much money do these artists really need. Do they deserve all the fame and cash just because the can kind of sing. I think that is the real underlying sentiment from most people.
And sell the damn mp3s. I would have paid $20 dollars for a napster that was secure, and all the songs where of good quality. Maybe I only get a 100 songs a month, thats fine, just make it a bit cheaper and easier to get. I'd rather do that then hunt through Kazaa.
Okay give me a little bit of credit. I'm a very good dba/dbd. My point was database result sets, which have nothing to do with the way the data is stored are 2 dimensions. Record sets and tables are not the same thing. An XML based database is a horrible idea, getting your results back as XML is a fabulous one.
Postgres does not handle serialized transactions as well as Oracle, etc. If your just at read committed isolation level then it is fine.
Check out the above link. The case that I was talking about is serializable transactions. This is the highest transaction isolation level and isn't quite as robust in Postgres as the Oracle, etc.
I wish TPC www.tpc.org would do some MySQL tests and show just how it really perfoms when compared, to DB2, Oracle, and MS SQL Server.
Why can we not put an end to this debate. I wish slashdot would just refuse to repost this crap that people keep saying to see their words be pubilshed.
It is simple, MySQL is a simple db system well suited to web-sites and application where it doesn't really fucking matter. Suppose if slashdot lost a couple of days worth of stories. Is the world going to end, NO, people will be, well whatever that feeling is when you loose data, but life will go on.
If I lost 5 minutes worth of production data, I'd probably have to find another job. People would not get their orders, we might loose a client. If I worked for the NASDAQ, it might mean real $ figures.
People who work in these high stress database positions understand the debate, and probably won't even post anything beause they are tired of it. I know I am. Learn Oracle, or SQL Server and MySQL postgres and then post your ideas, just don't learn MySQL.
Now that is not to say there is no hope for open systems, I sure hope there is because Oracle is expensive, and I hate most big companies. There is a large list of things that Postgres and MySQL have to do. Here are the big ones.
Log based transactions.
Whenever something happens to the data, the change is stored in another file, along with the data file. This way transactions can be rolled back or restored from transaction log backups without a need to restore the whole database. Get a copy of the datbase backup from a certain time and restore every transaction log backup after that and your back to your last transaction log backup. It also helps to replicate a database, and makes true "live" backups possible while a system is live without a huge performance impact, because the transaction log is also backed up, but at the last second, so when you restore the db, you also restore that log backup that was made at the last second while the database was locked.
One data file for multiple tables.
Having a seperate file for each table is like using dbase or paradox. Hell even Access has one file folks. It is needed for mysql and postgres to manage their own "file system within a file". I think Postgres is going to do this soon according to some of the discussions.
Complete SQL-92 support.
for all the bitching we do about not supporting standards, MySQL seems to think it is all right to say, "oh they'll make it slower". Give me a break.
Locking, Locking, Locking.
This is imperitive for true transaction support. It is also complicated, deadlocks are no fun. But we must be able to do db, table, row, and key locking. This way you can lock down a row for editing, and not allow anything else to mess with it until your current transaction is done. The classic example is the checking to saving account transfer by two people at the same. MySQL and postgres are not as good of Multiuser system as the big boys. Right now postges sends a message to the application saying, this is locked retry transaction, this is just not up to real enterprise levels.
XML support.
This is a new one, but one that is going to rock the DB world. The crappy thing about current tech is that all record sets are 2 dimensional. But if you've ever done more than 3 or 4 one to many joins this can be a big bitch to scroll through. It also replicates data in the result set leading to more memory consumption, network bandwith, etc. MS SQL as part of the whole.NET crap is doing this. Imagine XML results sets with heirachy. Tree based joins may also be in the works with this kind of power.
Stop saying we will take over Oracle, and take the steps needed to make it a reality.
I don't think the GUI is going anywhere. It may change ( become 3d or something ), but the computer in reality is just complicated dynamic paper, it still has to show you something.
The thing that needs to happen is things like audio interation. Speech recognition, and speech feedback.
I also feel that PDA/Desktop interaction will help. One thing that GUI can't do well is remind you of things, without annoying the crap out of you. For example, your typing and email, or coding, or whatever, and a reminder for a meeting, or a task, or something else comes up. You forget what your doing and you close down the meeting reminder and forget about it to. Sure would be nice to have a smaller lcd to the side that had that info on it.
take them to court. This would be a great case to show just how unconsitutional this law is.
Customers have a right to know about the product, and snosoft has the right to speak out about it. Isn't this a clear case where DMCA violates the first amendment.
The thing I like about the modern design is how pretty much everything is modular.
I remember reading an article in popular science, I think, about GM designing the "standard frame". Standard connects for the generate and the motors/wheels since the car is all electronic.
If you generator goes bad you unplug it and put another one on. Gone would be the days of messy unpolite mechanics. Sure there are still going to be idiots who won't want to mess with their cars, but I just can't imagine anything I couldn't fix on one of these things. I mean changing a spark plug isn't that hard, but it is a pain in the ass.
When people get in recks they'll simply buy a brand new shell for the car and stick it on. Or take out the seats, etc and reuse them. I'm think insurance companies will like the fact that repair costs could go down once these are in mass production.
It'll be nice if they decide to make the things upgradable to. When you motor goes bad you get another one, but it's also more efficient or faster. Or you can't afford the super fast model when you start, but then you can a few years later.
Remember that Windows 2000 is essentially everyone who is working on the linux kernal, basic distribution, and X. If the number includes Explorer, which could be likened to Mozzila and includes management, testers, and all the design specialistics ( people who do research to make it user friendly, or handicap accesable, I would think it's pretty small.
For all of you out there that aren't signed up for slashdot subscription ( I'm one them ) it's time to relize the benefit of the model.
I'm a subscriber to gamespot complete. As a member I get access to their download network. Honestly I forget the name of the provide, someone please respond with it.
Anyways, I was queued for the download before it was released. The second is was, I was first in line for it. I got home for my 4th festivities to find it waiting for me.
Just think of it as a magazine subscriptions with benifits. Sign up for you favorite site!!, put your $ where you mouth is
Is Moby or any of these other bitching artists having trouble playing there bills. No, they are having problems with there labels. Moby may say this, but it has nothing to do with his personal feelings.
The problem is we judge a records quality by it's sales, which doesn't always work.
Well until John Carmak gives his opinion on it I'm not even going to care. Other then the fact that it could at least improve the quality games. Or at least someone that rights engines for a living.
Just remember too that Microsoft sleeps around a lot. You can be in bed with them one minute and then their off in the bathroom fucking your biggets competitor just to make you get mad and get you to do something stupid.
Patents to me seem a little bit useless in today's age. And I don't really think they don't inspire big corporations to invent things, making $ does that. It is true that royalities can bring a pretty penny though, but do you need a patent for that.
If IBM produces a new technology, and spent 5 million on it, chances are the next guy is going to have spend a ton of money to reverse engineer it and to figure out the manufactory process, etc, etc. Chances are they would rather just buy the information on how to do it from IBM and sign some kind of legal contract that would be as good as a patent for IBM.
Capitalism is all about competition and making something that was once rare and expensive, common and cheap. Patents I think are no longer needed and are hurting. As well cause all kinds of messy situations when someone accidentally or purposely violates them.
This country was founded, at least I believe, on making everyone's life a little easier and free, not really to make everyone filthy rich like it has become.
I'm not saying that patents should be completly wiped out, but that laws should change and the lenght of time that they exist should be shortened. I think their most useful function today would be to protect a companies investment until the product can be manufactored. But once the initial investment has been recovered it should be released so that the technology can grow and become cheaper.
I wonder why the goverment has yet to really step into this whole RIAA MPAA crap. Sure they passed the DMCA, but has it really effected anything that truely matters.
The goverment has yet to step in an force ISP's to shut down these programs. Basically they are letting these organizations sue them death. I think because because people would be pissed if the goverment took Napster away. People generally feel they have no power over corporations, but in general we do still have some control over our goverment.
In 10 years computer power will be increased. With quantum computer passwords will be very easy to crack. I mean will we ever be able to enforce a 3000 character password?
In most cases protecting your password file, and preventing password crackers/guessers from working is the key.
Your login page/dialog is your first line of defense. Setup lockout functionality, only allow a certain number of attempts. Track logon attempts and throw alerts to system admins. We need to catch the people attempting to break in.
If someone gets your password file, or acces to your database your screwed, period, it doesn't matter how strong your password is.
know that you want to be a system admin? How do you know you don't want to be something entirely different.
My idea of my life has changed dramactically since I was 17 or 18. I'm only 22 now, and the changes just keep on coming.
I didn't go to school, but I would recommend that you go. Once you get out, it is very hard to get back into it, unless you are pushed. Especially if you get out on your own two feet and have bills and responsbilities.
I've been a system administrator before, and now I'm a developer, but I knew that is what I wanted to be. System administrator jobs are stressful and boring in my opinion, although unlike a development position you can generally leave your job at work and go home and relax.
Go to school and get a degree in something completely non related to computer, then use it with them. If you already have the knowledge, college won't teach you crap. But if you go learn something unrelated, then you may actually have fun at your job, and not get stuck writing stupid code for some businessman.
The most important thing to remember is at some point in your life work and computers will become less important then friends and family. So go to school and make friends!!!
just my $0.02
I think the odds of intelligent life elsewhere are much greater then you think.
There are other intelligent animals on this planet that are fairly close to us. In a few years with genetic engineering and/or computer implants it may be possible to communicate with them. Dolphins, Apes, and others could be far more intelligent then we think. And when it comes down to it they are every bit as complicated as far as their body goes. And a dolphin's brain in my opinion is capable of our level of thoughts, it is really their enviornment that is limiting them. No tools.
So yes it takes a lot to make life work, but in our own solar system there may be several suitable planets for life. Earth happens to be in the best spot and got the best arrangement of matter. Other solor systems are going to be the same way. There is an unconcievable number of stars out there, so the number of planets is even greater. In all that space, all that matter, all that time, life would not evolve past single cell matter? And if a planet can get to single cell life forms, chances are it is going to go much farther if it is the right size, and distant from it's sun.
Another thing that you are missing is that a universal cycle destroys everything. It may be possible that we have a new, different kind of matter because of the last one, and that a big crunch can somehow fundamentally change the rules of space-time, but it seems unlikely.
It may be that the universe WILL collapse, but I don't think it has before. Life is a kind of energy that can't really be put into a mathamatical equation. If we and possibly other life forms continue to evolve, we will continue to fuel the universe and keep it from going cold. Sometimes I look at the stars and wonder how many of them are artificial. How many years before we can create a star, 1000, 10000, 100000. If we are still around, we most certainly won't be human, but our ability to control our enviornment will be unimaginable. Of course we have to figure out how to stop killing each other first.
April fools is honestly one of my favorite days of the year. It reminds us all that people lie, and not to believe everything you read, especially on slashdot.
But do we really need to link to everything on her. I read this story on gamespot, I mean it's a pretty common site, does slashdot really need to link to everything.
Slashdot had some good original stuff, maybe we should try and keep it mostly original next year.
Why is it that almost every system out there can get a virus? I'm under the opinion that it is the OS's fault, *nix, windows included.
The reason anything can get a virus is because programs still have direct control over the IP ( instruction pointer ). This is a fatal flaw found in most OS's. Programs should be ran inside of a VM with tight security. Of course performance calls for some apps, especially servers to be ran in compiled code, but this should not be the default. If such an app needs to be installed or run the OS should prompt the user warning them of such activity.
Another flaw is the fact that we are still using a basic file system. Whether it's fat32, ntfs, or ext2 it is still just placing a byte stream on a disk, managing the name, where it starts and where it ends. Lets evolve a little. The file system should be more like a database. It should be able attach any number of properties to a file. It should be able to manage security at any level, and it should be able to isolate files from process to process.
Imagine if when a program installs it has access to it's portion of the file system and that is it. It couldn't see the rest if it wanted to. Installed programs could get quotas. They sure as hell wouldn't be able to start overwriting executables all over the place.
You could argue that good user level security could solve these problems, but it's obviously not enough since so many viruses simply find away around it.
I could go on and on about how OS's treat applications wrong. But the main point is that they treat them like friends when they are really strangers. The answer is to take control away from the app, and put it back in the OS. Perl and Java are a good start ( since they are both interrupted in a way), but obviously more work needs to be done.
Limit the access that the web server has to you database, and then use views/encryption to hide/protect your data from the web servers prospective.
If your using a good database you should be able to configure it based on ip's or mac addresses for specific accounts. So setup your super user accounts with tight IP restriction. Then setup an account for the web server and restrict it to only the web server. That way if someone takes over your web server they will not be able to authenicate to the database using the super user account. Providing that the database does not have any security flaws.
At this point restrict select access to the CC table to only the super user account. Then create a view that returns the last four digits of the credit card number, the rest *'s. Something like ************8721. When someone issues a select statement on the CC table this is the only info they will be able to get back. If you name the main CC table something weird, the view something simple like Credit_cards, and then restrict your system tables the hacker may get fooled. Of course they would have not know anything about db's to figure out it was a view.
There may be cases when your admins or certain users need to access the full number to verify it or for other reasons. Since they will probably be using the web server to do this you can create a stored proc that has access to the info, but will only return one number at a time. Of course you will need to implement the stored proc in such as way that some security token needs to be passed to get the info. If the proc fails track it.
Another approach might be to link your two database servers together in some manner and store your CC in another database. Only store the last 4 digits and a pointer ( foriegn key ) to the other db record in your local database. Of course a hacker could leap frog onto that database, but if you do a good job of hiding it's existance it could be a road block if the hacker does not have inside information. If you log communication between the two servers, and setup some type of application level authenication between the two you might be able to catch the hacker trying to figure it out.
Bottom line is if someone takes over your web server, and it has access to the CC's in anyway your never going to be totally safe. Ask yourself if you could get in with all the knowledge of the system you have.
And also, don't be to proud to ask for help. Get a security consultant and have them try and hack in before you go live. In fact get several companies to try, it might cost a pretty penny, but you can put it in your privacy statement to your customers.
As soon as someone does get infected, someone will detect it. It has to send it somewhere, probably a simple IP. How long before someone hacks the crap out of that box(s). Or figures out how magic latern sends info back and starts just flooding it with, "hey FBI, you are a bunch of f***ing idiots.".
Really this magic latern news is getting old, it is just a matter of time before the FBI realizes that this approach will not work. They are better off doing it a more legal way, case by case. If you first suspect someone, get a warrent, then you sniff their packets. If it's encrypted then you go the next route. But one at a time. Pay proffesional crackers, don't waste money on a cookie cutter solution that won't work three days after it is invented.
I think most people don't need to worry unless they are doing illegal things in insecure ways, in and out of the internet.
Well I do believe that most X-box games have been optimized for this chip.
It would also seem that porting an X-box game to the PC ( and vice versa ) would be fairly simple.
Maybe some menu changes and things, but it's all directX underneath.
Some of the X-box games look fabulous. Especially the football one ( I think it's NFL Fever 2001 ), these would look and run even better on a PC that has faster memory, and or cpus.
But your right, we probably won't see games for a while that truely harness the power, but Doom 3 should be the start of something more then just beefed up quake 2 like engines. I hope by the time it comes out that it will be fully optimized for the new vertex shaders. I also hope that Nvida will license the use of their language so that ATI, and others can compete.
Slashdot Mirror
put co-op in doom3, I'm going to be very dissapointed.
I thought this was much more fun in the original doom then deathmatch.
doom was all about killing tons of guys, so co-op was easy. If they want to put it in doom3 they would probably have to position enemies different, or put more of them to make it interesting.
Of course warping your friend as soon as you finish the level isn't very realistic, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to make the exit trigger require the both players to be less then a certain distnace from the exit. It would also be fun to have "you go I go" style. Where if you buddy died you had to restart the level, or from the most recent co-op save. It might get tough with a team of 4 players.
Hopefully one of these days someone will put out a true co-op game. Maybe the single player of Counterstrike will turn out to be a good one. Although it won't be quite the traditional single player storyline type.
I agree. I miss the BBS. Instead of trying to start another internet. We should create new communities on it.
The great thing about BBS's where they where truely local. Because people didn't want to pay the long distance bills, they usually only called the one in the same town, etc.
We need to bring small local communities back to the internet. The best thing would be to create a BBS system, that could host many BBS, and easy to setup and customize your own. I'd love to be able to hit a BBS that was just setup for my friends, or maybe just for the few blocks around my house.
We are thinking about this problem in general terms. I think most of imagine a pc running linux or windows with a flash interface. Although this is the most cost effective it is not really required. I would rather see a simple almost gaming console like approach.
You have to come into a voting center. The main reason is because the voter and the vote can not be linked in anyway. You have to come in and say "I'm here", then say "I voted", but the actual voting card is not connected to you ( other then fingerprints possibly ).
This portion is already in place and could be better automated. It is also a good use of the new federal id cards, if they come around.
The next problem is making sure the vote gets counted correctly and can be audited. My idea would be use a touch screen or whatever, but just have it print out a report that is fancier then a punch card. NO more hanging chad problem.
You see a very clear report, if you don't understand it you can read the information cards that explain it, or ask someone to look at it for you and make sure it okay. If people are really concerned about their vote they won't mind if a complete stranger, who is doing volunteer work looks at their vote. If you make someone say verify their vote 3 or 4 times in different formats, chances are anyone will catch errors, of course not everyone.
The reports have some kind of bar code, but a code that is verifiable via the eye. So you can look at the output of the report, and at the bar code and say that is okay. This could be done by a party that never saw the person who voted, so the vote would be audited before even entering the system. Of course if there is a problem the vote has to be thrown out, that is a scary thought. Or maybe they could look at the output of the report and re-type the barcode. Of course these procedures would need to be noted, and possibly video taped. They could be audited later to make sure they where handled correctly.
Then the report is scanned into the computer, record per record. At the same time it is put in a container. At the end of the day there should not be anymore records in the database, then in the containers. If you could scan these in again and see if one was missed, or one was counted twice.
At this point the counts are pritned out or electronically transfered to a central station where they can be aggregated and the winner determined. In the case of the presidency for the current state.
Electronics should be used to make it more accurate, and help humans, but I feel really bad about virtually voting. Having the piece of paper, the document is important to me.
I'm a DBA so I do trust the system, but I also no that when you start dealing with huge sets of data, the chances of error go up. If it can happen, it will, and with software you don't always no what can happen.
Also, I think the fact that CNN, etc. misreported the problem exposed how stupid it is to just not wait a day or so. I know we are all anxious to find out our new president is or whatever, but I'd rather not go through the Bush/Gore crap again.
Eventually someone will write a ripper that downloads track times from the intenert, and then literally plays the cd and records/breaks it up. Sure it takes an hour to rip a cd, but it is still possible. And all it takes is one person to do that to mp3, and then everyone can convert and burn to a cd. This is so pointless. People are going to steal no matter what.
If you want to stop it ( or at least reduce it), put out better music, and sell it for less. I'm tired of paying $16 for a CD, and then 50 for a concert ticket. How much money do these artists really need. Do they deserve all the fame and cash just because the can kind of sing. I think that is the real underlying sentiment from most people.
And sell the damn mp3s. I would have paid $20 dollars for a napster that was secure, and all the songs where of good quality. Maybe I only get a 100 songs a month, thats fine, just make it a bit cheaper and easier to get. I'd rather do that then hunt through Kazaa.
Okay give me a little bit of credit. I'm a very good dba/dbd. My point was database result sets, which have nothing to do with the way the data is stored are 2 dimensions. Record sets and tables are not the same thing. An XML based database is a horrible idea, getting your results back as XML is a fabulous one.
Postgres does not handle serialized transactions as well as Oracle, etc. If your just at read committed isolation level then it is fine.
http://www.us.postgresql.org/users-lounge/docs/6.5 /postgres/x2803.htm
Check out the above link. The case that I was talking about is serializable transactions. This is the highest transaction isolation level and isn't quite as robust in Postgres as the Oracle, etc.
I wish TPC www.tpc.org would do some MySQL tests and show just how it really perfoms when compared, to DB2, Oracle, and MS SQL Server.
.NET crap is doing this. Imagine XML results sets with heirachy. Tree based joins may also be in the works with this kind of power.
Why can we not put an end to this debate. I wish slashdot would just refuse to repost this crap that people keep saying to see their words be pubilshed.
It is simple, MySQL is a simple db system well suited to web-sites and application where it doesn't really fucking matter. Suppose if slashdot lost a couple of days worth of stories. Is the world going to end, NO, people will be, well whatever that feeling is when you loose data, but life will go on.
If I lost 5 minutes worth of production data, I'd probably have to find another job. People would not get their orders, we might loose a client. If I worked for the NASDAQ, it might mean real $ figures.
People who work in these high stress database positions understand the debate, and probably won't even post anything beause they are tired of it. I know I am. Learn Oracle, or SQL Server and MySQL postgres and then post your ideas, just don't learn MySQL.
Now that is not to say there is no hope for open systems, I sure hope there is because Oracle is expensive, and I hate most big companies. There is a large list of things that Postgres and MySQL have to do. Here are the big ones.
Log based transactions.
Whenever something happens to the data, the change is stored in another file, along with the data file. This way transactions can be rolled back or restored from transaction log backups without a need to restore the whole database. Get a copy of the datbase backup from a certain time and restore every transaction log backup after that and your back to your last transaction log backup. It also helps to replicate a database, and makes true "live" backups possible while a system is live without a huge performance impact, because the transaction log is also backed up, but at the last second, so when you restore the db, you also restore that log backup that was made at the last second while the database was locked.
One data file for multiple tables.
Having a seperate file for each table is like using dbase or paradox. Hell even Access has one file folks. It is needed for mysql and postgres to manage their own "file system within a file".
I think Postgres is going to do this soon according to some of the discussions.
Complete SQL-92 support.
for all the bitching we do about not supporting standards, MySQL seems to think it is all right to say, "oh they'll make it slower". Give me a break.
Locking, Locking, Locking.
This is imperitive for true transaction support. It is also complicated, deadlocks are no fun. But we must be able to do db, table, row, and key locking. This way you can lock down a row for editing, and not allow anything else to mess with it until your current transaction is done. The classic example is the checking to saving account transfer by two people at the same. MySQL and postgres are not as good of Multiuser system as the big boys. Right now postges sends a message to the application saying, this is locked retry transaction, this is just not up to real enterprise levels.
XML support.
This is a new one, but one that is going to rock the DB world. The crappy thing about current tech is that all record sets are 2 dimensional. But if you've ever done more than 3 or 4 one to many joins this can be a big bitch to scroll through. It also replicates data in the result set leading to more memory consumption, network bandwith, etc. MS SQL as part of the whole
Stop saying we will take over Oracle, and take the steps needed to make it a reality.
Will be required to send a signal to headquarters everytime copyrighted movies are seen.
I don't think the GUI is going anywhere. It may change ( become 3d or something ), but the computer in reality is just complicated dynamic paper, it still has to show you something.
The thing that needs to happen is things like audio interation. Speech recognition, and speech feedback.
I also feel that PDA/Desktop interaction will help. One thing that GUI can't do well is remind you of things, without annoying the crap out of you. For example, your typing and email, or coding, or whatever, and a reminder for a meeting, or a task, or something else comes up. You forget what your doing and you close down the meeting reminder and forget about it to. Sure would be nice to have a smaller lcd to the side that had that info on it.
take them to court. This would be a great case to show just how unconsitutional this law is.
Customers have a right to know about the product, and snosoft has the right to speak out about it. Isn't this a clear case where DMCA violates the first amendment.
The thing I like about the modern design is how pretty much everything is modular.
I remember reading an article in popular science, I think, about GM designing the "standard frame".
Standard connects for the generate and the motors/wheels since the car is all electronic.
If you generator goes bad you unplug it and put another one on. Gone would be the days of messy unpolite mechanics. Sure there are still going to be idiots who won't want to mess with their cars, but I just can't imagine anything I couldn't fix on one of these things. I mean changing a spark plug isn't that hard, but it is a pain in the ass.
When people get in recks they'll simply buy a brand new shell for the car and stick it on. Or take out the seats, etc and reuse them. I'm think insurance companies will like the fact that repair costs could go down once these are in mass production.
It'll be nice if they decide to make the things upgradable to. When you motor goes bad you get another one, but it's also more efficient or faster. Or you can't afford the super fast model when you start, but then you can a few years later.
Remember that Windows 2000 is essentially everyone who is working on the linux kernal, basic distribution, and X. If the number includes Explorer, which could be likened to Mozzila and includes management, testers, and all the design specialistics ( people who do research to make it user friendly, or handicap accesable, I would think it's pretty small.
For all of you out there that aren't signed up for slashdot subscription ( I'm one them ) it's time to relize the benefit of the model.
I'm a subscriber to gamespot complete. As a member I get access to their download network. Honestly I forget the name of the provide, someone please respond with it.
Anyways, I was queued for the download before it was released. The second is was, I was first in line for it. I got home for my 4th festivities to find it waiting for me.
Just think of it as a magazine subscriptions with benifits. Sign up for you favorite site!!, put your $ where you mouth is
Is Moby or any of these other bitching artists having trouble playing there bills. No, they are having problems with there labels. Moby may say this, but it has nothing to do with his personal feelings.
The problem is we judge a records quality by it's sales, which doesn't always work.
Well until John Carmak gives his opinion on it I'm not even going to care. Other then the fact that it could at least improve the quality games.
Or at least someone that rights engines for a living.
Just remember too that Microsoft sleeps around a lot. You can be in bed with them one minute and then their off in the bathroom fucking your biggets competitor just to make you get mad and get you to do something stupid.
Patents to me seem a little bit useless in today's age. And I don't really think they don't inspire big corporations to invent things, making $ does that. It is true that royalities can bring a pretty penny though, but do you need a patent for that. If IBM produces a new technology, and spent 5 million on it, chances are the next guy is going to have spend a ton of money to reverse engineer it and to figure out the manufactory process, etc, etc. Chances are they would rather just buy the information on how to do it from IBM and sign some kind of legal contract that would be as good as a patent for IBM. Capitalism is all about competition and making something that was once rare and expensive, common and cheap. Patents I think are no longer needed and are hurting. As well cause all kinds of messy situations when someone accidentally or purposely violates them. This country was founded, at least I believe, on making everyone's life a little easier and free, not really to make everyone filthy rich like it has become. I'm not saying that patents should be completly wiped out, but that laws should change and the lenght of time that they exist should be shortened. I think their most useful function today would be to protect a companies investment until the product can be manufactored. But once the initial investment has been recovered it should be released so that the technology can grow and become cheaper.
I wonder why the goverment has yet to really step into this whole RIAA MPAA crap. Sure they passed the DMCA, but has it really effected anything that truely matters.
The goverment has yet to step in an force ISP's to shut down these programs. Basically they are letting these organizations sue them death. I think because because people would be pissed if the goverment took Napster away. People generally feel they have no power over corporations, but in general we do still have some control over our goverment.
Is the problem really with weak passwords here.
In 10 years computer power will be increased. With quantum computer passwords will be very easy to crack. I mean will we ever be able to enforce a 3000 character password?
In most cases protecting your password file, and preventing password crackers/guessers from working is the key.
Your login page/dialog is your first line of defense. Setup lockout functionality, only allow a certain number of attempts. Track logon attempts and throw alerts to system admins. We need to catch the people attempting to break in.
If someone gets your password file, or acces to your database your screwed, period, it doesn't matter how strong your password is.
know that you want to be a system admin? How do you know you don't want to be something entirely different. My idea of my life has changed dramactically since I was 17 or 18. I'm only 22 now, and the changes just keep on coming. I didn't go to school, but I would recommend that you go. Once you get out, it is very hard to get back into it, unless you are pushed. Especially if you get out on your own two feet and have bills and responsbilities. I've been a system administrator before, and now I'm a developer, but I knew that is what I wanted to be. System administrator jobs are stressful and boring in my opinion, although unlike a development position you can generally leave your job at work and go home and relax. Go to school and get a degree in something completely non related to computer, then use it with them. If you already have the knowledge, college won't teach you crap. But if you go learn something unrelated, then you may actually have fun at your job, and not get stuck writing stupid code for some businessman. The most important thing to remember is at some point in your life work and computers will become less important then friends and family. So go to school and make friends!!! just my $0.02
I think the odds of intelligent life elsewhere are much greater then you think.
There are other intelligent animals on this planet that are fairly close to us. In a few years with genetic engineering and/or computer implants it may be possible to communicate with them. Dolphins, Apes, and others could be far more intelligent then we think. And when it comes down to it they are every bit as complicated as far as their body goes. And a dolphin's brain in my opinion is capable of our level of thoughts, it is really their enviornment that is limiting them. No tools.
So yes it takes a lot to make life work, but in our own solar system there may be several suitable planets for life. Earth happens to be in the best spot and got the best arrangement of matter. Other solor systems are going to be the same way. There is an unconcievable number of stars out there, so the number of planets is even greater. In all that space, all that matter, all that time, life would not evolve past single cell matter? And if a planet can get to single cell life forms, chances are it is going to go much farther if it is the right size, and distant from it's sun.
Another thing that you are missing is that a universal cycle destroys everything. It may be possible that we have a new, different kind of matter because of the last one, and that a big crunch can somehow fundamentally change the rules of space-time, but it seems unlikely.
It may be that the universe WILL collapse, but I don't think it has before. Life is a kind of energy that can't really be put into a mathamatical equation. If we and possibly other life forms continue to evolve, we will continue to fuel the universe and keep it from going cold. Sometimes I look at the stars and wonder how many of them are artificial. How many years before we can create a star, 1000, 10000, 100000. If we are still around, we most certainly won't be human, but our ability to control our enviornment will be unimaginable. Of course we have to figure out how to stop killing each other first.
April fools is honestly one of my favorite days of the year. It reminds us all that people lie, and not to believe everything you read, especially on slashdot. But do we really need to link to everything on her. I read this story on gamespot, I mean it's a pretty common site, does slashdot really need to link to everything. Slashdot had some good original stuff, maybe we should try and keep it mostly original next year.
Why is it that almost every system out there can get a virus? I'm under the opinion that it is the OS's fault, *nix, windows included.
The reason anything can get a virus is because programs still have direct control over the IP ( instruction pointer ). This is a fatal flaw found in most OS's. Programs should be ran inside of a VM with tight security. Of course performance calls for some apps, especially servers to be ran in compiled code, but this should not be the default. If such an app needs to be installed or run the OS should prompt the user warning them of such activity.
Another flaw is the fact that we are still using a basic file system. Whether it's fat32, ntfs, or ext2 it is still just placing a byte stream on a disk, managing the name, where it starts and where it ends. Lets evolve a little. The file system should be more like a database. It should be able attach any number of properties to a file. It should be able to manage security at any level, and it should be able to isolate files from process to process.
Imagine if when a program installs it has access to it's portion of the file system and that is it. It couldn't see the rest if it wanted to. Installed programs could get quotas. They sure as hell wouldn't be able to start overwriting executables all over the place.
You could argue that good user level security could solve these problems, but it's obviously not enough since so many viruses simply find away around it.
I could go on and on about how OS's treat applications wrong. But the main point is that they treat them like friends when they are really strangers. The answer is to take control away from the app, and put it back in the OS. Perl and Java are a good start ( since they are both interrupted in a way), but obviously more work needs to be done.
Limit the access that the web server has to you database, and then use views/encryption to hide/protect your data from the web servers prospective.
If your using a good database you should be able to configure it based on ip's or mac addresses for specific accounts. So setup your super user accounts with tight IP restriction. Then setup an account for the web server and restrict it to only the web server. That way if someone takes over your web server they will not be able to authenicate to the database using the super user account. Providing that the database does not have any security flaws.
At this point restrict select access to the CC table to only the super user account. Then create a view that returns the last four digits of the credit card number, the rest *'s. Something like ************8721. When someone issues a select statement on the CC table this is the only info they will be able to get back. If you name the main CC table something weird, the view something simple like Credit_cards, and then restrict your system tables the hacker may get fooled. Of course they would have not know anything about db's to figure out it was a view.
There may be cases when your admins or certain users need to access the full number to verify it or for other reasons. Since they will probably be using the web server to do this you can create a stored proc that has access to the info, but will only return one number at a time. Of course you will need to implement the stored proc in such as way that some security token needs to be passed to get the info. If the proc fails track it.
Another approach might be to link your two database servers together in some manner and store your CC in another database. Only store the last 4 digits and a pointer ( foriegn key ) to the other db record in your local database. Of course a hacker could leap frog onto that database, but if you do a good job of hiding it's existance it could be a road block if the hacker does not have inside information. If you log communication between the two servers, and setup some type of application level authenication between the two you might be able to catch the hacker trying to figure it out.
Bottom line is if someone takes over your web server, and it has access to the CC's in anyway your never going to be totally safe. Ask yourself if you could get in with all the knowledge of the system you have.
And also, don't be to proud to ask for help. Get a security consultant and have them try and hack in before you go live. In fact get several companies to try, it might cost a pretty penny, but you can put it in your privacy statement to your customers.
As soon as someone does get infected, someone will detect it. It has to send it somewhere, probably a simple IP. How long before someone hacks the crap out of that box(s). Or figures out how magic latern sends info back and starts just flooding it with, "hey FBI, you are a bunch of f***ing idiots.". Really this magic latern news is getting old, it is just a matter of time before the FBI realizes that this approach will not work. They are better off doing it a more legal way, case by case. If you first suspect someone, get a warrent, then you sniff their packets. If it's encrypted then you go the next route. But one at a time. Pay proffesional crackers, don't waste money on a cookie cutter solution that won't work three days after it is invented. I think most people don't need to worry unless they are doing illegal things in insecure ways, in and out of the internet.
Well I do believe that most X-box games have been optimized for this chip.
It would also seem that porting an X-box game to the PC ( and vice versa ) would be fairly simple.
Maybe some menu changes and things, but it's all directX underneath.
Some of the X-box games look fabulous. Especially the football one ( I think it's NFL Fever 2001 ), these would look and run even better on a PC that has faster memory, and or cpus.
But your right, we probably won't see games for a while that truely harness the power, but Doom 3 should be the start of something more then just beefed up quake 2 like engines. I hope by the time it comes out that it will be fully optimized for the new vertex shaders. I also hope that Nvida will license the use of their language so that ATI, and others can compete.