If one were to get fancier, they could use multi-colored bits. Using 2 lasers instead of one, then one laser would read a different value than the other depending on how the surface reacted to the light
D'you think you'd be able to use RGB laser arrays to make this even faster? Obviously, this would set a limit on how small you could physically shrink the bits due to the wavelength of light, but wouldn't you be able to read 3 different pieces of information from a single multicoloured sector...?
I quite agree;.gif and.png are far FAR better at compressing images with a limited colour table, such as button, banners etc, as well as producing no noticeable (to me anyway) artifacts.
And yet the article makes sod all mention of any other method of compression other than.jpeg and (to a lesser extent).jpeg2000, apart from the token mention of.gif on the last page.
If I remember correctly, the.jpeg compression uses 16 million colours only, with gif and png using 1-128 with dithering options with which you can chop image sizes in half from jped sizes if you're clever enough.
My Photoshop (5.5) has the excellent "save for web" utility where you're shown a preview of what the image (or up to three thumbs) will look like at a particular compression ratio, compared to the original - surely PSP has something similar?! This has made me able to get images as small as possible whilst still making them look good to the casual eye.
I read that article, and got very scared - I've just bought a new 52x CD ROM, and apparently this'll make my AOL disc explode!!!!!
So I glued the CD to a small dinner plate to strengthen it, but it wouldn't fit in my drive until I hammered it in.
But this didn't work anyway (it wouldn't read the damned CD, and I put in in the right way up and everything), and now my CD drive is broken. Don't buy 52x CD ROMs, they're dangerous!
Gates: I'm the richest man on Earth, made all my money from the software business, and I'm asking you all to develop software in such a way as to make me, an *American*, even richer.
World: Riiiiiiiiiiight.
American Givernment: Wahoo! Where shall we bend over today?
Right, a basic summary:
Gates says the GPL model is bad because it doesn't create the jobs that a behemoth like M$ does, and it doesn't generate any revenue since the code is, by and large, developed by "anonymous" coders all over the world in their spare time at zero cost to the end users.
He then goes on to say the M$ plan has earned him, his staff and America a shedload of $$$$$ (he obviously declined to answer the "but at what cost question;)
Smart move - he's talking to US government officials, and this is exactly what they want to hear. Go for the GPL way, and (if you take billg's word for it) you get poorer software and a non-existent software industry. Go the M$ way, you get lower unemployment, more moeny for everybody (I guess it would be overly cynical to suggest any backhanders taking place;).
Just another step in crippling the GPL et al at the highest levels I suppose. Telling the gov leaders GPL is bad will discourage them from even issuing feasability studies. Besides, it seems that as far as most of the US gov are concerned (IMHO anyway) the M$ model works fine, and they don't seem to see the inherent (or should I say "obvious") risks of a monoculture. And I won't even get started about the potential for snooping: we in the UK have this damned nationwide passport thing to scare the crap out of us day and night.
Sigh.
"Don't use the back button, Senator Smith"
Surely, the real profit margins of the Xbox are going to come with the DSL-only networking options?
How much do you bet that once (if?) the online killer apps are released then users will be poleaxed with a whopping subscription fee?
Getting the box into your home is one thing; getting you to get it chained to the phone socket is quite another, and believe me people will do it.
Don't underestimate the Xbox, it still has the potential to become a market leader if M$ is prepared to make a long term investment and slash the price before they start raking it in.
Slashdot Mirror
If one were to get fancier, they could use multi-colored bits. Using 2 lasers instead of one, then one laser would read a different value than the other depending on how the surface reacted to the light
D'you think you'd be able to use RGB laser arrays to make this even faster? Obviously, this would set a limit on how small you could physically shrink the bits due to the wavelength of light, but wouldn't you be able to read 3 different pieces of information from a single multicoloured sector...?
I quite agree; .gif and .png are far FAR better at compressing images with a limited colour table, such as button, banners etc, as well as producing no noticeable (to me anyway) artifacts.
.jpeg and (to a lesser extent) .jpeg2000, apart from the token mention of .gif on the last page.
.jpeg compression uses 16 million colours only, with gif and png using 1-128 with dithering options with which you can chop image sizes in half from jped sizes if you're clever enough.
And yet the article makes sod all mention of any other method of compression other than
If I remember correctly, the
My Photoshop (5.5) has the excellent "save for web" utility where you're shown a preview of what the image (or up to three thumbs) will look like at a particular compression ratio, compared to the original - surely PSP has something similar?! This has made me able to get images as small as possible whilst still making them look good to the casual eye.
Bah, silly silly article!
I read that article, and got very scared - I've just bought a new 52x CD ROM, and apparently this'll make my AOL disc explode!!!!!
So I glued the CD to a small dinner plate to strengthen it, but it wouldn't fit in my drive until I hammered it in.
But this didn't work anyway (it wouldn't read the damned CD, and I put in in the right way up and everything), and now my CD drive is broken. Don't buy 52x CD ROMs, they're dangerous!
Gates: I'm the richest man on Earth, made all my money from the software business, and I'm asking you all to develop software in such a way as to make me, an *American*, even richer.
World: Riiiiiiiiiiight.
American Givernment: Wahoo! Where shall we bend over today?
Right, a basic summary: Gates says the GPL model is bad because it doesn't create the jobs that a behemoth like M$ does, and it doesn't generate any revenue since the code is, by and large, developed by "anonymous" coders all over the world in their spare time at zero cost to the end users. He then goes on to say the M$ plan has earned him, his staff and America a shedload of $$$$$ (he obviously declined to answer the "but at what cost question ;)
Smart move - he's talking to US government officials, and this is exactly what they want to hear. Go for the GPL way, and (if you take billg's word for it) you get poorer software and a non-existent software industry. Go the M$ way, you get lower unemployment, more moeny for everybody (I guess it would be overly cynical to suggest any backhanders taking place ;).
Just another step in crippling the GPL et al at the highest levels I suppose. Telling the gov leaders GPL is bad will discourage them from even issuing feasability studies. Besides, it seems that as far as most of the US gov are concerned (IMHO anyway) the M$ model works fine, and they don't seem to see the inherent (or should I say "obvious") risks of a monoculture. And I won't even get started about the potential for snooping: we in the UK have this damned nationwide passport thing to scare the crap out of us day and night.
Sigh.
"Don't use the back button, Senator Smith"
Surely, the real profit margins of the Xbox are going to come with the DSL-only networking options? How much do you bet that once (if?) the online killer apps are released then users will be poleaxed with a whopping subscription fee? Getting the box into your home is one thing; getting you to get it chained to the phone socket is quite another, and believe me people will do it. Don't underestimate the Xbox, it still has the potential to become a market leader if M$ is prepared to make a long term investment and slash the price before they start raking it in.