(my current laptop has 4 MB--that's as much RAM as my old 486 came with.
Just to keep things in perspective, my phone is powered by a couple RISC processors, has 80 megabytes of RAM and runs a multitasking, multithreading OS.
Exactly, where did I say there never was a version of Windows for Alpha, PPC and MIPS?
Nowhere.
While Windows NT 4 was a functional equivalent of 95 (not 98 until, at least, SP3/Option Pack/IE4) in office applications (I used it in software development), it was not for home users - hardware support was lacking and most games of the time didn't run correctly. It took time until most developers figured out what to do with users and permissions and all things NT (3.1) brought to the Windows API.
Microsoft's mainstream OS of the time (the 9x series) did not support multi-processing or anything but x86 processors. 9x was the continuation of the 3.x series and it would require a huge effort to do so.
I would also like to note that all these processors either died or were relegated to niche markets when support from future versions of Windows was discontinued. MIPS first, then PPC and Alpha. Soon to follow is Itanium - there is already no desktop version of Windows and, curiously, no desktop computer with it. 32-bit x86 is next. All of them continued to evolve and (except Alpha) exist today and it's fair to say its descendants are some of the most interesting devices on the market.
No. It's not a conspiracy theory. It's a statement of fact that MS's monopoly on desktop OSs creates an environment where only the processors and configurations they pick get mainstream support.
I am typing this in a x86 notebook, but could, just as easily, be doing so in a SPARC, MIPS, ARM or Alpha - each and every piece of software I run has ports for them. Were it a MIPS or an ARM, I am quite sure I could probably also have 12 hours of battery life in this same chassis without a noticeable reduction of performance.
Next time, try to think before you post. It saves embarrassment.
the computer was designed for Windows and I could not get support for Linux.
Just about every personal computer since mid 90's (Macs excepted) is designed to run a flavor of Windows. Do you wonder why most probably there are no Alpha or MIPS desktop computers around you? That's right - because there is no version of Windows and Office for them. Do you think Intel and AMD could not make a multi-core processor until about last year? They could do it since almost ever (I have seen multi-processor 386 systems), but there would be next to no market for them as Windows 98 couldn't use more than one processor.
Truth is - most computers are really designed to run Windows and this has inhibited or postponed many technical advances. We still use glorified 5150's.
You actually can synthesize gold and it has been done since the first decades of the last century. There are a couple problems, however: It's hideously expensive, it gives you an unstable isotope that, in any decent quantities will kill you if you stand too close to it and, being unstable, it also decays into something else.
In a sense, Apple is a shadow of its former self. While the Mac never had a huge market share, the II series was pretty much "the" personal computer to have. I had three.
On the other hand, having about a 16% slice of the 1980 personal computer pie (which, before the PC clones provoked a mass-extinction) is pretty much nothing when compared to their current slice of the current personal computer market.
"There are good programmers and excellent programmers that really understand what they are doing. Those understand assembly."
There is simply no other way to know what makes PIC, Power, MIPS, SPARC and x86 different from each other. There is simply no other way you can understand the trade-offs of many different architectures.
I started programming with the 6502. Did some x86 too and never touched it again, but it gave me and my generation the current "widget pusher" programmers can't match.
And don't get me started on how productive your java object-persistence engine can make you. If you don't see your computer as something moving and adding words (64 bit wide these days) back and forth, you really don't get what you are doing.
I would agree if the said tool could purchase said computer without a fully paid copy of Windows pre-installed. Microsoft is getting paid no matter what gets really installed into that computer - even if installing crapware helps Dell pay for the Windows license they ship, Microsoft is still being paid.
While the hardware market is competitive (at least, we have Intel and AMD for now), the OS market is not. It's a virtual monopoly being exploited by its owner to create additional monopolies around it.
As for the hardware market, we used to have other types of processors besides x86. I have a couple RISC workstations in my private collection that are a testimonial of the current lack of diversity. This monotonous x86 world is really... well... monotonous.
I'm curious how political positions can "destroy the lives of foreigners", and how that justifies a military attack or is the responsibility of Americans.
Calm down. He never said it justified. But, even if unjustified, it still happens.
When people can blame (or are made to blame) the actions of a country (embargoes, support for a dictator, support for insurgency, support to occupation) for their misery (or lack of whatever they think they need) you end up with terrorists - people who are so mad at a government, a lifestile and whatever image they make of them, they won't regard them as human and will not think twice before killing themselves in order to kill several of what they perceive as their enemies. Add to that those who rise to power by exploiting that hatred turning it into a cause and you have the present state of affairs or something pretty close to it.
My brain exploded when I got to "Loop homology is difficult to compute, but Mitka showed that in many cases it is isomorphic to the Hochschild cohomology of the fundamental group."
Since it's not possible Darl and his minions didn't knew that the lines in question were that many and of that significance, it's quite sure they exaggerated their position to create a positive image - they lied in bad faith. Any one who bought SCOX because of this could and should sue them.
Too bad the people who invested most in this circus won't really sue them because they knew full well this was only an effort to smear the reputation of Linux and other free software. The fact they won't sue is enough evidence of a conspiracy.
As for Darl, I would offer him a deal to walk free if he could produce enough evidence for the government to go after Microsoft's top execs. There is little gain in making him pay, but having enough evidence to do a couple arrests the top ranks at MS would be well worth it.
We must only be careful not to hit him from too many directions, but hit him very hard from a few. Unless he has a hope of walking free, he won't lead us to his bosses. It must be possible to offer him a deal.
Things like these should never be repeated. The people behind this must be stopped.
There's nothing wrong with admiring sports figures, but neither Kobe Bryant nor Paris Hilton are ever going to discover anything great. Lead man to a new world. Or save man from himself by finding "new lands".
That's so true...
They are profitable. They help sell products and TV. They entertain. And, as for Paris Hilton, she helps me keep mankind in perspective. Some of us are capable of extraordinary achievements but, apparently, not most. She reminds me that about half of mankind has a below-average intelligence.
That, perhaps, make those extraordinary achievements even more extraordinary.
My first real paying job was doing low-level programming for educational games (on the Apple II). While it's true nothing off-the-shelf allows the kind of flexibility and performance hand-coded assembly, compilers got so good and processors so fast and complex, few people do it (for desktop computers, that is).
Those days, you could make a pile of money by building something huge in C. These days, the same thing is implemented in few lines of a more specializad language. It runs orders of magnitude slower on hardware orders of magnitude faster but - surprise - nobody cares. If it takes less time than the piece of plastic takes to put "Enter" back into it's position, it is fast enough.
It's already easy to imagine business-process languages that will help even someone with very little skills to compete with far more experienced people.
Heck. Visual Basic did that. While it allowed for an explosion on the diversity of software available on Windows, it also created a generation of icon-dragging morons that could call themselves programmers.
Even if a total newbie would generate less support calls with Linux than they do with Windows, Dell cannot drop Windows support, so, in any case, they will have to pay both bills.
There is also some risk that boxes that Joe Sixpack can't use because-it-is-not-running-Windows could damage Dell's reputation.
And add to that that someone from Microsoft could have mentioned, casually, let's say, while playing golf, something about how OEM license price could vary whether they think the client has or not some special strategic value.
With the razor-thin margins in this market, I would understand if Dell decided not to offer more Linux computers.
Slashdot Mirror
Just to keep things in perspective, my phone is powered by a couple RISC processors, has 80 megabytes of RAM and runs a multitasking, multithreading OS.
And its screen has more pixels than my Apple II!
Exactly, where did I say there never was a version of Windows for Alpha, PPC and MIPS?
Nowhere.
While Windows NT 4 was a functional equivalent of 95 (not 98 until, at least, SP3/Option Pack/IE4) in office applications (I used it in software development), it was not for home users - hardware support was lacking and most games of the time didn't run correctly. It took time until most developers figured out what to do with users and permissions and all things NT (3.1) brought to the Windows API.
Microsoft's mainstream OS of the time (the 9x series) did not support multi-processing or anything but x86 processors. 9x was the continuation of the 3.x series and it would require a huge effort to do so.
I would also like to note that all these processors either died or were relegated to niche markets when support from future versions of Windows was discontinued. MIPS first, then PPC and Alpha. Soon to follow is Itanium - there is already no desktop version of Windows and, curiously, no desktop computer with it. 32-bit x86 is next. All of them continued to evolve and (except Alpha) exist today and it's fair to say its descendants are some of the most interesting devices on the market.
No. It's not a conspiracy theory. It's a statement of fact that MS's monopoly on desktop OSs creates an environment where only the processors and configurations they pick get mainstream support.
I am typing this in a x86 notebook, but could, just as easily, be doing so in a SPARC, MIPS, ARM or Alpha - each and every piece of software I run has ports for them. Were it a MIPS or an ARM, I am quite sure I could probably also have 12 hours of battery life in this same chassis without a noticeable reduction of performance.
Next time, try to think before you post. It saves embarrassment.
It's obvious to me, as a trained slashdotter, many people are unable to understand sarcasm.
Just about every personal computer since mid 90's (Macs excepted) is designed to run a flavor of Windows. Do you wonder why most probably there are no Alpha or MIPS desktop computers around you? That's right - because there is no version of Windows and Office for them. Do you think Intel and AMD could not make a multi-core processor until about last year? They could do it since almost ever (I have seen multi-processor 386 systems), but there would be next to no market for them as Windows 98 couldn't use more than one processor.
Truth is - most computers are really designed to run Windows and this has inhibited or postponed many technical advances. We still use glorified 5150's.
BTW, manufacturers are quite happy with this.
The original version was funny, not crappy.
I have to say it.
You actually can synthesize gold and it has been done since the first decades of the last century. There are a couple problems, however: It's hideously expensive, it gives you an unstable isotope that, in any decent quantities will kill you if you stand too close to it and, being unstable, it also decays into something else.
In a sense, Apple is a shadow of its former self. While the Mac never had a huge market share, the II series was pretty much "the" personal computer to have. I had three.
On the other hand, having about a 16% slice of the 1980 personal computer pie (which, before the PC clones provoked a mass-extinction) is pretty much nothing when compared to their current slice of the current personal computer market.
A friend of mine likes to characterize Zardoz as "just like Barbarella, but with Sean Connery instead of Jane Fonda".
Yuck!
It is, however, nice to be reminded that the masses can do it and have done that before.
But I would like to sum it up as
"There are good programmers and excellent programmers that really understand what they are doing. Those understand assembly."
There is simply no other way to know what makes PIC, Power, MIPS, SPARC and x86 different from each other. There is simply no other way you can understand the trade-offs of many different architectures.
I started programming with the 6502. Did some x86 too and never touched it again, but it gave me and my generation the current "widget pusher" programmers can't match.
And don't get me started on how productive your java object-persistence engine can make you. If you don't see your computer as something moving and adding words (64 bit wide these days) back and forth, you really don't get what you are doing.
You can read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DONKEY.BAS
Back then, I did.
I would agree if the said tool could purchase said computer without a fully paid copy of Windows pre-installed. Microsoft is getting paid no matter what gets really installed into that computer - even if installing crapware helps Dell pay for the Windows license they ship, Microsoft is still being paid.
While the hardware market is competitive (at least, we have Intel and AMD for now), the OS market is not. It's a virtual monopoly being exploited by its owner to create additional monopolies around it.
As for the hardware market, we used to have other types of processors besides x86. I have a couple RISC workstations in my private collection that are a testimonial of the current lack of diversity. This monotonous x86 world is really... well... monotonous.
No.
This is too cruel.
It only could be worse if we made him use it with ATG Dynamo.
Calm down. He never said it justified. But, even if unjustified, it still happens.
When people can blame (or are made to blame) the actions of a country (embargoes, support for a dictator, support for insurgency, support to occupation) for their misery (or lack of whatever they think they need) you end up with terrorists - people who are so mad at a government, a lifestile and whatever image they make of them, they won't regard them as human and will not think twice before killing themselves in order to kill several of what they perceive as their enemies. Add to that those who rise to power by exploiting that hatred turning it into a cause and you have the present state of affairs or something pretty close to it.
It's a tragedy and it was avoidable
My brain exploded when I got to "Loop homology is difficult to compute, but Mitka showed that in many cases it is isomorphic to the Hochschild cohomology of the fundamental group."
Since it's not possible Darl and his minions didn't knew that the lines in question were that many and of that significance, it's quite sure they exaggerated their position to create a positive image - they lied in bad faith. Any one who bought SCOX because of this could and should sue them.
Too bad the people who invested most in this circus won't really sue them because they knew full well this was only an effort to smear the reputation of Linux and other free software. The fact they won't sue is enough evidence of a conspiracy.
As for Darl, I would offer him a deal to walk free if he could produce enough evidence for the government to go after Microsoft's top execs. There is little gain in making him pay, but having enough evidence to do a couple arrests the top ranks at MS would be well worth it.
We must only be careful not to hit him from too many directions, but hit him very hard from a few. Unless he has a hope of walking free, he won't lead us to his bosses. It must be possible to offer him a deal.
Things like these should never be repeated. The people behind this must be stopped.
How can a decades-old sci-fi series still be victim of spoilers?
BTW, the first half was somewhat good. The second half was horrible.
That's so true...
They are profitable. They help sell products and TV. They entertain. And, as for Paris Hilton, she helps me keep mankind in perspective. Some of us are capable of extraordinary achievements but, apparently, not most. She reminds me that about half of mankind has a below-average intelligence.
That, perhaps, make those extraordinary achievements even more extraordinary.
Sure you have. Everything bashing MS is even handed. ;-)
"Never" is a little too far.
My first real paying job was doing low-level programming for educational games (on the Apple II). While it's true nothing off-the-shelf allows the kind of flexibility and performance hand-coded assembly, compilers got so good and processors so fast and complex, few people do it (for desktop computers, that is).
Those days, you could make a pile of money by building something huge in C. These days, the same thing is implemented in few lines of a more specializad language. It runs orders of magnitude slower on hardware orders of magnitude faster but - surprise - nobody cares. If it takes less time than the piece of plastic takes to put "Enter" back into it's position, it is fast enough.
It's already easy to imagine business-process languages that will help even someone with very little skills to compete with far more experienced people.
Heck. Visual Basic did that. While it allowed for an explosion on the diversity of software available on Windows, it also created a generation of icon-dragging morons that could call themselves programmers.
Even if a total newbie would generate less support calls with Linux than they do with Windows, Dell cannot drop Windows support, so, in any case, they will have to pay both bills.
There is also some risk that boxes that Joe Sixpack can't use because-it-is-not-running-Windows could damage Dell's reputation.
And add to that that someone from Microsoft could have mentioned, casually, let's say, while playing golf, something about how OEM license price could vary whether they think the client has or not some special strategic value.
With the razor-thin margins in this market, I would understand if Dell decided not to offer more Linux computers.
Come on... It is not that hard to see.
As soon as it lies down
Well... It isn't a life, either.
"The fact that they still sell the '54gl model shows they actually learned something from the ordeal."
I would say they learned there is a market for hardware that's open enough so users can modify it.
Everybody won and I just love win-win situations.
"proprietary software using such code".
^^^^
Preview is for sissies.