How can this not-completely-functional Apple be considered the perfect Linux laptop when there are plenty of completely-supported x86 notebooks / laptops out there? I don't understand...
I think he may be refering to a couple things:
1) The iBooks are pretty cheap and offer great hardware for the price: $1299, for the cheapest model, but $1499 for
128MB SDRAM memory
10GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD-ROM drive w/DVD-Video
8MB video memory
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
RGB video output
Two USB ports
FireWire port
2) The battery life is around 5 hours, and the thing weighs under 5 pounds.
3) It can run OS X as well. W/ Linux and OS X on a laptop, you have a lot of productivity tools. I think you can even dual boot with the iBooks but I'm not positive.
I think the reason Unions are not needed in IT and most high-tech industries is that workers are too valuable. No offense to anyone who is a blue-collar Union member, but there is a surplus of laborers in the Unionized industries. Unions protect the rights of workers and ensure that businesses don't go for cheaper labor that can be paid less with less benefits.
In IT, you have a too few workers. Last I heard there weren't enough programmers or elec. engineers to meet the demand of growing technology idustries. The workers are too valuable and you don't want them jumping ship to a new company with all that knowledge, even with NDAs.
Look real close and take note on the max uptime for the flagship Darwin server:.5 days uptime, at best.
That is because with all the internal builds, they are rebooting, adding, testing, rebuilding the kernel, trying new things etc. That may be why the uptime is only counted in the single digit days. Personally, I've had uptimes much longer than 5 days. Right now I'm at 24 and I may reboot with a new kernel soon.
I believe the first 200 miles is the EEZ is it not? The Exclusive Economic Zone, where the country has economic rights to oil, fish, etc.
The Russians have done very close fly-bys of Alaska and there were some articles at NYTimes online. Here is a link to the "summary" as the article is Archived.
The US plane was in international airspace on autopilot
It depends on who's side of the story you are listening to. My girlfriend is abroad in China right now, and in one of her last emails, she said that the story is completely different over there. They say we were in their Territorial space. I think the truth may be some where in between the Chinese and American sides of the story. You can't always trust the media/gov't and their "spin."
Define for me "nicer" will you? You mean a cheap processor with no L2 cache? You mean a cheap monitor, video card, keyboard, mouse, CD-ROM? What about USB? Firewire? Expandability? Preloaded software? An OS? If you're making just a simple Linux box, fine, but for a GUI, you have got to be kidding me.
USB? Firewire? Sounds out? A guarantee that it will all work well? AppleCare (warranty)? A bigger HD (iMacs have larger than 10G), and what is the quality of the $119 monitor? I don't want shit thrown together, I want a machine that runs well, is fast, is under warranty, and has a decent OS.
I mean, even if this OS produces everything it claims to, is it really worth an intel user to switch over when you can get a duron/celeron box for 500, and the cheapest way to get a mac is an iMac for about 8 or 9 hundred and then you have to suffer through a 15" monitor?
So your Duron/Celeron box for $500 comes with a 17" monitor? Really? That's incredible.
At least the iMac has a monitor, while it may be overpriced, there is a price-point that is very succesful in all platforms of Computer sales that is right around $800-$1000. The iMac isn't geared toward the power user, rather, toward Joe Friday who wants a computer for the internet, word processing, email, and his 5 year old kid to play "Reader-Rabbit" on.
And let me know where I can buy that $500 Duron/Celeron with that nice big 17" monitor.
Why did the telecos not think ahead and pre-position areas to upgrade or put in PVC piping or such so they could run new fibre lines at will instead of ripping up roads, sidewalks etc to put in technology that is three or four steps behind what exists?
Because what is available today to the market is not the "bleeding edge" type of fiber. Rather, gigabit fiber and up to 10 Gbps are what is really availble, although really expensive. If they ran this new "holey fiber" it would sit in the sidewalk/ground/PVC until someone was ready to build the router or MUX/DEMUX equipment needed to utilize this technology. By going ahead and laying first generation technology, they'll get use out of it (fiber into homes, even at first gen. hasn't even proliferated yet) and be able to sell it for a few years. Hopefully by then they'll have a better upgrade path.
Massive bandwidth via fiber is an infant technology for end users. It's got to mature.
I'm willing to bet Slashdot has a smaller number of employees than Yahoo. Yahoo's expenses are probably much greater. This is why all portals are going to start having trouble. The Internet is all about specialization in technology. Yahoo has tried to do too much.
Is it possible that Nintendo would devise a battery pack, that would be rechargable. That way you could get like 10 hours out of it, and then recharge it. Just food for thought...
You're exactly right about the Word import functions. If Corel had import and export in Word format, it would gain a lot of space in the WP market. But can it *legally* do that? After MS invested in Corel, will they even consider doing this?
No. Users do not want to learn a new OS just because it's free or cheap, they will gladly pay for an inferior product that they know than be given a superior product with which they have no familiarity.
That's exactly why I asked "do they have a shot?" Because your argument has always been applicable to a variety of markets.
With whom? Linux users? Maybe you perceive Slashdot as a good thermometer of the status quo
I do not think the majority of Americans disagree with the MS trial. I know that Microsoft has been battling a tarnished public image.
While I wish this book was dead accurate, it seems insanely premature. I think the jury is definitely still out on Microsoft. You have the following factors (not all inclusive):
A) Bush as the new President
B) Ashcroft now over-seeing the trial
C) Open Source revolution
D) Competing OSs (do they have a shot?)
E) Microsoft's increasing unpopularity
F) Microsoft's HUGE installed base
All of these undetermined factors, or maybe variables, will tell the tale. But this book is far too premature. I think MS is still on top of the food chain, as much as I HATE to admit that.
All of those reasons are valid, and possibly "Everyone on Slashdot" doesn't understand this, but the real reason fiber optics hasn't completely replaced copper is that it truely is more expensive. One of the main reasons it is so expensive is that they can't make enough of it, fast enough, to meet the demand.
All major communications companies want to be laying fiber. It's widely accepted that it will be the communications medium of the future. I worked for Lucent Technologies as a summer intern, directly in optical switching and networking. I was told on a number of occasions that Lucent couldn't even produce enough fiber to meet the internal needs, much less fill the huge back order on cable.
This example is why fiber optics are expensive. Especially when you look at multi mode and single mode fiber. The price increase is huge. They can't make it quickly enough to meet demands.
You speak of these Benchmarks and ask Apple to just give up. I've heard and read of the merits of both architectures. Can you please provide all of us with some real proof (and not just propaganda mixed with mindless drivel) as to how they are "falling way behind."
I understand that their clock rates aren't on the ball (Apple's chips are made by motorolla and IBM, lay the blame where it is deserved), but I wouldn't say that the G4 chips as well as the RISC arch. are "falling way behind."
A lot of people are asking about the state of "the virtual world in 5 years" or how this programming language compares or contrasts to another, but honestly, those aren't the kinds of questions I think this interview was intended for. You can get that commentary from boring old industry professionals(read: Katz). I think I'm more interested in your point of view.
You're 5 years younger than I am. Are you enjoying life? Do you think that being a "geek" fullfills you as a teenager? Are you interested in the kind of educational atmosphere that college presents? Do you feel like you're getting much out of high-school?
What do you think of the majority of your peers(13-18 year old), and is the "geek" bug biting a larger portion of them in comparison to just 10 years ago? I'm interested in how things have changed in a short time and the attitude of your age group toward being "smart" or gifted in the field of technology, specifically computers. Thanks for the more refreshing point of view.
Or more importantly, can we actually put all those cycles to use in a tangible way. I don't care about getting paid, but if I know I donated my idle CPU cycles to find a solution to something tangible in the scientific world, I would be very willing to invest my time and effort to a distributed system such as United Devices and dist.net could create.
Your reasoning is flawed. The real real behind the "Elephant and the Ant" is basic physics. F=ma. The force that elephant hits the ground is monumental due to the mass. If you exerted 10 Newtons force on an ant, you'd crush it, do the same for an elephant, and it might blink. This bigger things are more fragile isn't a "scientific property," it's a lame explaination of basic physics, but justified by the wrong reasoning.
And as far as the breaking strength business goes, pressure is a force over an area. No matter the size of the metal, you're going to have similar properties between large and small wires. Therefore, if you exert enough force on a small enough area, you could break it, but a jostle won't kill you.
IBM doesn't do Altivec. Altivec is a great technology, but on Motorola is doing it in the G4. Altivec isn't neccesarily the most useful of technologies, and IBM sees faster clock rates selling a lot more chips to Apple.
This rumor has some good logic behind it, truth on the other hand is arguable. Apple release the dual G4 boxes to compete in the Mhz war. It was also a cry to Motorolla to stop screwing around. The problem with the AIM alliance (Apple, IBM, Motorolla) is that they are contractually locked into non-competeing clock speeds. Meaning IBM can't release a G4 that is a ton faster than Mot'sdue to better development. But IBM can release a new version. So the G5 looks like a great chip, it's faster, and it is what Apple wants.
No, Mac OS X Server is actually a dead piece of software. Mac OS X will be server and consumer in one, depending on what you install. And no, they didn't drop Multiproc. support from OS X. Why else would they have released new dual G4 PowerMacs that supplant their single proc line.
Slashdot Mirror
How can this not-completely-functional Apple be considered the perfect Linux laptop when there are plenty of completely-supported x86 notebooks / laptops out there? I don't understand...
I think he may be refering to a couple things:
1) The iBooks are pretty cheap and offer great hardware for the price: $1299, for the cheapest model, but $1499 for
128MB SDRAM memory
10GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD-ROM drive w/DVD-Video
8MB video memory
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
RGB video output
Two USB ports
FireWire port
2) The battery life is around 5 hours, and the thing weighs under 5 pounds.
3) It can run OS X as well. W/ Linux and OS X on a laptop, you have a lot of productivity tools. I think you can even dual boot with the iBooks but I'm not positive.
It's a nice machine for under $1500
I think the reason Unions are not needed in IT and most high-tech industries is that workers are too valuable. No offense to anyone who is a blue-collar Union member, but there is a surplus of laborers in the Unionized industries. Unions protect the rights of workers and ensure that businesses don't go for cheaper labor that can be paid less with less benefits.
In IT, you have a too few workers. Last I heard there weren't enough programmers or elec. engineers to meet the demand of growing technology idustries. The workers are too valuable and you don't want them jumping ship to a new company with all that knowledge, even with NDAs.
Look real close and take note on the max uptime for the flagship Darwin server: .5 days uptime, at best.
That is because with all the internal builds, they are rebooting, adding, testing, rebuilding the kernel, trying new things etc. That may be why the uptime is only counted in the single digit days. Personally, I've had uptimes much longer than 5 days. Right now I'm at 24 and I may reboot with a new kernel soon.
I believe the first 200 miles is the EEZ is it not? The Exclusive Economic Zone, where the country has economic rights to oil, fish, etc.
The Russians have done very close fly-bys of Alaska and there were some articles at NYTimes online. Here is a link to the "summary" as the article is Archived.
The US plane was in international airspace on autopilot
It depends on who's side of the story you are listening to. My girlfriend is abroad in China right now, and in one of her last emails, she said that the story is completely different over there. They say we were in their Territorial space. I think the truth may be some where in between the Chinese and American sides of the story. You can't always trust the media/gov't and their "spin."
Define for me "nicer" will you? You mean a cheap processor with no L2 cache? You mean a cheap monitor, video card, keyboard, mouse, CD-ROM? What about USB? Firewire? Expandability? Preloaded software? An OS? If you're making just a simple Linux box, fine, but for a GUI, you have got to be kidding me.
USB? Firewire? Sounds out? A guarantee that it will all work well? AppleCare (warranty)? A bigger HD (iMacs have larger than 10G), and what is the quality of the $119 monitor? I don't want shit thrown together, I want a machine that runs well, is fast, is under warranty, and has a decent OS.
I mean, even if this OS produces everything it claims to, is it really worth an intel user to switch over when you can get a duron/celeron box for 500, and the cheapest way to get a mac is an iMac for about 8 or 9 hundred and then you have to suffer through a 15" monitor?
So your Duron/Celeron box for $500 comes with a 17" monitor? Really? That's incredible.
At least the iMac has a monitor, while it may be overpriced, there is a price-point that is very succesful in all platforms of Computer sales that is right around $800-$1000. The iMac isn't geared toward the power user, rather, toward Joe Friday who wants a computer for the internet, word processing, email, and his 5 year old kid to play "Reader-Rabbit" on.
And let me know where I can buy that $500 Duron/Celeron with that nice big 17" monitor.
That is music to my ears. Good to know we won't be creating an army of Super Humans to fight our wars for us any time soon.
Why did the telecos not think ahead and pre-position areas to upgrade or put in PVC piping or such so they could run new fibre lines at will instead of ripping up roads, sidewalks etc to put in technology that is three or four steps behind what exists?
Because what is available today to the market is not the "bleeding edge" type of fiber. Rather, gigabit fiber and up to 10 Gbps are what is really availble, although really expensive. If they ran this new "holey fiber" it would sit in the sidewalk/ground/PVC until someone was ready to build the router or MUX/DEMUX equipment needed to utilize this technology. By going ahead and laying first generation technology, they'll get use out of it (fiber into homes, even at first gen. hasn't even proliferated yet) and be able to sell it for a few years. Hopefully by then they'll have a better upgrade path.
Massive bandwidth via fiber is an infant technology for end users. It's got to mature.
"nightly 'recommended updates'....They tried that with OS 7/8/9
They never did that. They used to have an update roughly every 4 months. Those updates were not just bug fixes, they were interface tweeks as well.
That's an interesting point. I wonder at what point content providers would refuse to run ads. What size is just too big?
I'm willing to bet Slashdot has a smaller number of employees than Yahoo. Yahoo's expenses are probably much greater. This is why all portals are going to start having trouble. The Internet is all about specialization in technology. Yahoo has tried to do too much.
Is it possible that Nintendo would devise a battery pack, that would be rechargable. That way you could get like 10 hours out of it, and then recharge it. Just food for thought...
You're exactly right about the Word import functions. If Corel had import and export in Word format, it would gain a lot of space in the WP market. But can it *legally* do that? After MS invested in Corel, will they even consider doing this?
No. Users do not want to learn a new OS just because it's free or cheap, they will gladly pay for an inferior product that they know than be given a superior product with which they have no familiarity.
That's exactly why I asked "do they have a shot?" Because your argument has always been applicable to a variety of markets.
With whom? Linux users? Maybe you perceive Slashdot as a good thermometer of the status quo
I do not think the majority of Americans disagree with the MS trial. I know that Microsoft has been battling a tarnished public image.
While I wish this book was dead accurate, it seems insanely premature. I think the jury is definitely still out on Microsoft. You have the following factors (not all inclusive):
A) Bush as the new President
B) Ashcroft now over-seeing the trial
C) Open Source revolution
D) Competing OSs (do they have a shot?)
E) Microsoft's increasing unpopularity
F) Microsoft's HUGE installed base
All of these undetermined factors, or maybe variables, will tell the tale. But this book is far too premature. I think MS is still on top of the food chain, as much as I HATE to admit that.
All of those reasons are valid, and possibly "Everyone on Slashdot" doesn't understand this, but the real reason fiber optics hasn't completely replaced copper is that it truely is more expensive. One of the main reasons it is so expensive is that they can't make enough of it, fast enough, to meet the demand.
All major communications companies want to be laying fiber. It's widely accepted that it will be the communications medium of the future. I worked for Lucent Technologies as a summer intern, directly in optical switching and networking. I was told on a number of occasions that Lucent couldn't even produce enough fiber to meet the internal needs, much less fill the huge back order on cable.
This example is why fiber optics are expensive. Especially when you look at multi mode and single mode fiber. The price increase is huge. They can't make it quickly enough to meet demands.
You speak of these Benchmarks and ask Apple to just give up. I've heard and read of the merits of both architectures. Can you please provide all of us with some real proof (and not just propaganda mixed with mindless drivel) as to how they are "falling way behind."
I understand that their clock rates aren't on the ball (Apple's chips are made by motorolla and IBM, lay the blame where it is deserved), but I wouldn't say that the G4 chips as well as the RISC arch. are "falling way behind."
A lot of people are asking about the state of "the virtual world in 5 years" or how this programming language compares or contrasts to another, but honestly, those aren't the kinds of questions I think this interview was intended for. You can get that commentary from boring old industry professionals(read: Katz). I think I'm more interested in your point of view.
You're 5 years younger than I am. Are you enjoying life? Do you think that being a "geek" fullfills you as a teenager? Are you interested in the kind of educational atmosphere that college presents? Do you feel like you're getting much out of high-school?
What do you think of the majority of your peers(13-18 year old), and is the "geek" bug biting a larger portion of them in comparison to just 10 years ago? I'm interested in how things have changed in a short time and the attitude of your age group toward being "smart" or gifted in the field of technology, specifically computers. Thanks for the more refreshing point of view.
Or more importantly, can we actually put all those cycles to use in a tangible way. I don't care about getting paid, but if I know I donated my idle CPU cycles to find a solution to something tangible in the scientific world, I would be very willing to invest my time and effort to a distributed system such as United Devices and dist.net could create.
Your reasoning is flawed. The real real behind the "Elephant and the Ant" is basic physics. F=ma. The force that elephant hits the ground is monumental due to the mass. If you exerted 10 Newtons force on an ant, you'd crush it, do the same for an elephant, and it might blink. This bigger things are more fragile isn't a "scientific property," it's a lame explaination of basic physics, but justified by the wrong reasoning.
And as far as the breaking strength business goes, pressure is a force over an area. No matter the size of the metal, you're going to have similar properties between large and small wires. Therefore, if you exert enough force on a small enough area, you could break it, but a jostle won't kill you.
IBM doesn't do Altivec. Altivec is a great technology, but on Motorola is doing it in the G4. Altivec isn't neccesarily the most useful of technologies, and IBM sees faster clock rates selling a lot more chips to Apple.
This rumor has some good logic behind it, truth on the other hand is arguable. Apple release the dual G4 boxes to compete in the Mhz war. It was also a cry to Motorolla to stop screwing around. The problem with the AIM alliance (Apple, IBM, Motorolla) is that they are contractually locked into non-competeing clock speeds. Meaning IBM can't release a G4 that is a ton faster than Mot'sdue to better development. But IBM can release a new version. So the G5 looks like a great chip, it's faster, and it is what Apple wants.
No, Mac OS X Server is actually a dead piece of software. Mac OS X will be server and consumer in one, depending on what you install. And no, they didn't drop Multiproc. support from OS X. Why else would they have released new dual G4 PowerMacs that supplant their single proc line.
I should have said billions of operations, not calculations. Thank you for the correction.