This article reads like an advert to me, is packed with buzzwords and doesn't really give any details beyond that it'll be demonstrated at LinxuWorld, booth 647 today and tomorrow. Could those more informed than I enlighten me as to what advantages does this have over current portable Linux system? Or have insufficient details been released?
Is operating temperature a concern? NiMH batteries are not so good in low temperatures, so don't use them in a GPS on your Everest Expedition.
What about space/weight/charge density? Lithium Ion batteries have a higher energy density than NiMH and NiCads, but they require more intelligent (read: expensive) chargers, as they are often microprocesser controlled.
Current Drain? NiCads can deliver more current than NiMH batteries.
Access to power supply? Weight and size of chargers? NiCad batteries are the easiest (after Lead Acid) to recharge, so the charger could be lowcost and small sized. You can charge a NiCad quite well with just a dc power supply and an appropriate voltage dropping resistor, just make sure that you time the charging to match the capacity. You can't jury-rig chargers for Li Ion batteries and you have to be very careful for NiMH cells (you really need to detect the voltage drop these guys display when nearing charge completion and trickle charge from that point onwards).
Also, contrary to what others have posted, not all batteries of the same kind are created equal. Stick to name brands (Sanyo batteries have been very good for us) - they tend to last a little longer. Maybe they have more pure electrolyte or electrodes?
Avoid rechargable alkalines. It will end in tears.
Hmmm. Now it's in the public domain, and that will make getting/protecting a patent difficult, wont it? Here hoping that no-one else read the post, because I'd buy one.
For someone who has developed an entirely new OS based around the desire to "enable a richer experience" and "who also is one of the inventors of Smalltalk, one of the fathers of object oriented programming, conceiver of the laptop computer, inventor of much of the modern windowing GUI", I found the website inconsistent with my expectations. Is this the offical website? If not, please ignore this post!
A really big deal is made about this project's ability to "unlock the potential of this technology to enhance the entire user experience" and such as well as acknowledging the importance of communication through out the few pages with any info. It's just a shame that none of their "assumptions" are adhered to in the design of their own website.
As for stating that "it is our full intention to make Croquet into as high a quality a product as you will find anywhere, commercial or not.[snip] This isn't just a promise; it's just what we do.", maybe the same intentions should be directed towards the presentation of their communication.
I'm not going to get started on the documentation only being available in.PDF!
I am very surprised that so many slashdot readers are anti-sms. I wonder how many of these same people get all excited about pervasive computing, wifi connected handhelds and the like? Is there much difference? Really?
These people appear to be missing the appeal of SMS to most people: It's cheap, you've always got your phone with you and you can do other stuff while communicating (listen to music, watch a movie, read a book). SMS is an inexpensive method of non-critical communication. This is/was especially important when prepaid phone services became available, as the call costs were expensive per second, but SMS had a flat rate.
In short, SMS has/had a much better _percieved_value_ than voice calls.
What I really like is the ability to purchase stuff using SMS like Coke or even your parking!
BTW the popularity of prepaid phone and SMS was never predicted by some of the Telcos, especially not here in.au. A Whole Other Story if anyone cares.
I recently discovered <a href="http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Disney.ht ml">Anomalies Unlimited</a> and it opened my eyes to a number of questionable practices by Disney.<br> I haven't researched the validity of these claims, but having seen one or two of them before, I tend to believe most of it.<br>What some companies/people will do for money...
Can anyone tell me if there is any truth in this alledged profiling, or is this some kind of attempt to discredit the company and/or their product? Plenty of other organisation would like to see TiVo go away, wouldn't they?
How about an interview with someone from here? Running a business with the executives in at least three different countries must be a feat unto itself!
Dan
One of my previous jobs saw me working in the textile industry for a short time. The company I worked for used to order directly from China.
The supplier used the latest German Made manufacturing equipment. We had the option, as I am sure is not unusal, of which level of quality we wanted, right down to Quality Assurance Levels. We wanted reasonable quality/cheaper priced products and that is exactly what we got.
I guess what I am trying to say is that just because it comes from a country with lower labor costs, does not make the product crap by default. I now deal with a european manufacturer, and sometimes have to wonder which is better. Admittingly, I am now in a completely different industry!
For those looking at having products made overseas, have a look at Inner Mongolia and Vietnam. Inner Mongolia has recently democratised and some state-owned enterprises were sold to private interests at very good prices. Vietnam seems keen to prove itself on the international stage.
Who else thinks that the spam friendly ISP's will exploit this? What happens if your Spam account becomes overdue? What about the ISP's who want to make a quick dollar? It'd be a nice profitable way to get out of providing a spamming service.
Why would any one want to use a blender or toilet when they are not near it? Another case of technology for technologies sake. Why can't the people and money involved be used for something worthwhile like a laser guided can opener...
I'd be very careful doing anything like this in Australia. FWIK, The legislation is unclear, but suggests that if a fee is charged and/or if any of the equipment used between the isp and the enduser is partially or wholly owned by another party, then a (very expensive) carrier licence may be required. A licencee can sponser you, but I doubt you'd have any (free) luck at getting their support.
I've spoken to 'Licensing & Infrastructure Australian Communications Authority'. I guess they get LOTS of enquries as there response was seemed scripted to me!
Dan
Just because the tech is available doesn't mean that all book sellers will use it. Here in Australia, one of the largest music retailers do not contribute to the chart. I'm not sure how much this affects the results, but it could significantly affect the results.
Another point, if the retailer doesn't a particular title to count, they do not need to scan the ISBN. They could scan the UPC or even manually enter a SKU/PLU.
I wonder how they people running the list will adjust for this?
Please stop insulting our intellegence by Americanising the issues that appear on Slashdot.
If I can understand what the European Union Copyright Directive is about, I'm sure that anyone can. It's not like the term is vague and incomprehensible.
When compared to the DCMA, the issues are similar, but the stakeholders and the implications to them are different.
I guess that it is only a matter of time before China's long standing censorship practices are simply referred to as the "Chinese DCMA".
Slashdot Mirror
Fair point. I had forgotten how lame this sig was anyways! I hope that you find my new one more interesting.
It's a press release. What did you expect?
Is operating temperature a concern? NiMH batteries are not so good in low temperatures, so don't use them in a GPS on your Everest Expedition.
What about space/weight/charge density? Lithium Ion batteries have a higher energy density than NiMH and NiCads, but they require more intelligent (read: expensive) chargers, as they are often microprocesser controlled.
Current Drain? NiCads can deliver more current than NiMH batteries.
Access to power supply? Weight and size of chargers? NiCad batteries are the easiest (after Lead Acid) to recharge, so the charger could be lowcost and small sized. You can charge a NiCad quite well with just a dc power supply and an appropriate voltage dropping resistor, just make sure that you time the charging to match the capacity. You can't jury-rig chargers for Li Ion batteries and you have to be very careful for NiMH cells (you really need to detect the voltage drop these guys display when nearing charge completion and trickle charge from that point onwards).
Also, contrary to what others have posted, not all batteries of the same kind are created equal. Stick to name brands (Sanyo batteries have been very good for us) - they tend to last a little longer. Maybe they have more pure electrolyte or electrodes?
Avoid rechargable alkalines. It will end in tears.
Good luck with your decision.
What about: TIA it aint?
Gibson's Pattern Recognition is also good, but maybe borrow it from the library.
Finally, Dan Simmons' Hyperion and The Fall Of Hyperion are also brilliant.
Find a book shop like Pulp Fiction in Brisbane, Qld. Everyone for their recommendations has been excellent.
Hmmm. Now it's in the public domain, and that will make getting/protecting a patent difficult, wont it? Here hoping that no-one else read the post, because I'd buy one.
A really big deal is made about this project's ability to "unlock the potential of this technology to enhance the entire user experience" and such as well as acknowledging the importance of communication through out the few pages with any info. It's just a shame that none of their "assumptions" are adhered to in the design of their own website.
As for stating that "it is our full intention to make Croquet into as high a quality a product as you will find anywhere, commercial or not.[snip] This isn't just a promise; it's just what we do.", maybe the same intentions should be directed towards the presentation of their communication.
I'm not going to get started on the documentation only being available in .PDF!
3 - 5 whats? Is this the odds that it will work (pretty good, I'd place a wager on it)? Is a percentage? Time taken?
To the guy with the dodgy Tablet PC:
/etc/kenetic.conf
You need to edit
You need to change this line:
tiltAction = "crash";
to
tiltAction = "none";
You may also like to change the line:
DropAction = "Break a bit off the corner";
to
DropAction = "She'll be 'right";
I am very surprised that so many slashdot readers are anti-sms. I wonder how many of these same people get all excited about pervasive computing, wifi connected handhelds and the like? Is there much difference? Really?
These people appear to be missing the appeal of SMS to most people: It's cheap, you've always got your phone with you and you can do other stuff while communicating (listen to music, watch a movie, read a book). SMS is an inexpensive method of non-critical communication. This is/was especially important when prepaid phone services became available, as the call costs were expensive per second, but SMS had a flat rate.
In short, SMS has/had a much better _percieved_value_ than voice calls.
What I really like is the ability to purchase stuff using SMS like Coke or even your parking!
BTW the popularity of prepaid phone and SMS was never predicted by some of the Telcos, especially not here in .au. A Whole Other Story if anyone cares.
I recently discovered <a href="http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Disney.ht ml">Anomalies Unlimited</a> and it opened my eyes to a number of questionable practices by Disney.<br>
I haven't researched the validity of these claims, but having seen one or two of them before, I tend to believe most of it.<br>What some companies/people will do for money...
Can anyone tell me if there is any truth in this alledged profiling, or is this some kind of attempt to discredit the company and/or their product? Plenty of other organisation would like to see TiVo go away, wouldn't they?
How about an interview with someone from here? Running a business with the executives in at least three different countries must be a feat unto itself! Dan
One of my previous jobs saw me working in the textile industry for a short time. The company I worked for used to order directly from China.
The supplier used the latest German Made manufacturing equipment. We had the option, as I am sure is not unusal, of which level of quality we wanted, right down to Quality Assurance Levels. We wanted reasonable quality/cheaper priced products and that is exactly what we got.
I guess what I am trying to say is that just because it comes from a country with lower labor costs, does not make the product crap by default. I now deal with a european manufacturer, and sometimes have to wonder which is better. Admittingly, I am now in a completely different industry!
For those looking at having products made overseas, have a look at Inner Mongolia and Vietnam. Inner Mongolia has recently democratised and some state-owned enterprises were sold to private interests at very good prices. Vietnam seems keen to prove itself on the international stage.
Who else thinks that the spam friendly ISP's will exploit this? What happens if your Spam account becomes overdue? What about the ISP's who want to make a quick dollar? It'd be a nice profitable way to get out of providing a spamming service.
Why would any one want to use a blender or toilet when they are not near it? Another case of technology for technologies sake. Why can't the people and money involved be used for something worthwhile like a laser guided can opener...
I'd be very careful doing anything like this in Australia. FWIK, The legislation is unclear, but suggests that if a fee is charged and/or if any of the equipment used between the isp and the enduser is partially or wholly owned by another party, then a (very expensive) carrier licence may be required. A licencee can sponser you, but I doubt you'd have any (free) luck at getting their support.
I've spoken to 'Licensing & Infrastructure
Australian Communications Authority'. I guess they get LOTS of enquries as there response was seemed scripted to me!
Dan
This page has a picture of Gaak, the robot in question.
I'd be worried too if I found this heading my way in a carpark!
...you'd think that they'd get suspicous when the Queen is spotted boarding three time in a row...
Just because the tech is available doesn't mean that all book sellers will use it. Here in Australia, one of the largest music retailers do not contribute to the chart. I'm not sure how much this affects the results, but it could significantly affect the results. Another point, if the retailer doesn't a particular title to count, they do not need to scan the ISBN. They could scan the UPC or even manually enter a SKU/PLU. I wonder how they people running the list will adjust for this?
Please stop insulting our intellegence by Americanising the issues that appear on Slashdot.
If I can understand what the European Union Copyright Directive is about, I'm sure that anyone can. It's not like the term is vague and incomprehensible.
When compared to the DCMA, the issues are similar, but the stakeholders and the implications to them are different.
I guess that it is only a matter of time before China's long standing censorship practices are simply referred to as the "Chinese DCMA".
I keep ending up at The Onion when I type in slashdot.org!?! I didn't noticde at first.