...a few months after going public. As with most companies who go public, the goal becomes shareholder value - at all costs.
You watch how Google slowly goes down the tubes as itchy investors (who spent too much damn money on the stock in the first place), expect *BIG* returns. This doesn't always happen. I believe most companies in fact improve after going public. But investing idiots (see SCOX) risk huge amounts of money betting on tech stocks and so the pressure to perform often outweighs what would be considered REASONABLE returns for most.
I don't want to see it happen, so don't think this is some sort of troll - but I know all too well the record of high flying tech companies like this. When their focus changes, the service will start to suck.
Not to be redundant but Yahoo! pissed me off in much the same way - over what most would think was such a little thing. Yahoo! used, USED to be my home page. Then they started using intrusive and annoying flash ads. I accepted that, but then they did the unthinkable - they STOLE MY CURSOR!
Look, just because they're my home page doesn't mean I always want to search for something. In fact 9/10ths of the time I just want to type in an address.
So when you combine the two features, you have me opening up my browser and immediately start to type something like 'www.somethingorother.com' in their SEARCH BAR instead of the address field. Arrrgh!
So... I wonder if they'll consider validating MRAM more quickly if Flash is found to be more error prone.
You know how NASA works. The Space Shuttle running on 486's and whatnot. I understand the science behind that reasoning, as sad as a 66 MHz processor seems to us geeks nowadays, but I wonder if MRAM will prove more flexible and stable for future space missions.
I don't think this is as disasterous as is feared (yet). So MS wants to patent their way of saving information to an open standard? Fine by me if they want to set a legal basis for their formatting.
But should they start some shit over other office document compatibility with that standard - THAT my friends will be a war.
Let's not forget that MS currently has a Wordperfect filter built-in to Office - it's certainly no stranger to support of alien formats. Given the tightrope they constantly walk with the DOJ, I can't see this as interfering with something like OOo's ability to open/save to it.
As the P4 EE proves, more cache is really important to the performance of the P4. Take a look at the specs of all but one of the new Prescotts' and you'll see that they come with 1 MB of cache instead of the Northwood standard of 512K.
That should at least allow Prescott to be on par with if not exceed the performance of Northwood. That said, I wouldn't expect it to be faster in everything. Those extra stages will hurt for certain functions no matter WHAT the cache.
The mighty Sharp GF-777. Shortwave radio, AM/FM, two cassette decks, an 'echo chamber' with mic jack and mixing. In short - the works! To this day, it still provides sound from my computer and it's connected to two nice Sony floor speakers.
Only the GF-888 was bigger - and I only ever saw two of these. One was on a beach entertaining pretty much the ENTIRE beach. It had TWO handles! I shudder to think how many 'D' cells it took to power it up as my 777 used 12 of 'em!
...energy, resources, money, and more. These people should be run out on a rail - big time. Every corp that got a letter like this should be asking (demanding) for the same proof. As the old Wendy's spokesperson used to yell, "WHERE'S THE BEEF?!"
...I really do want to know why I should use this in a Win2K environment. My boss wouldn't care what I get as long as it does the job. What I want to know is: Can this server provide me with tools to form a good bridge between Windows, Apple, and Linux clients?
SAMBA 3, from what I read is GREAT, but it in no way yet compares to the ease of use of MS's Active Directory tools (at least in configuring Windows clients).
What do these really mean? NASA for instance, has been trying to do things on the cheap - not necessarily a bad thing.
But if something happens to a probe out there, there's no human around for an immediate intervention. How many probes would NOT have crashed if there were active humans abord? Hard to say because no human-based mission will be that cheap.
Then there have been stupid mistakes - like the botched Metric/Imperial figures. I think something like that would have been caught by humans on a long 9 month (give or take) trip.
I agree! But it's like that scene from 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World' where they try to split up the shares of the treasure.
"We figured it seventeen different ways, and every time we figured it it was no good, because no matter how we figured it somebody didn't like the way we figured it. So now there's only one way to figure it, and that is every man - including the old bag - for himself."
Whether it's greed for gold or lust for power, it's all sillyness in the end.
Priority... Right. Like fixing Medicare? Wasn't THAT a priority? Didn't at least SOME from your party not only help write the bill but also VOTE for it. Hmmmm? Well... Done. Next!
And don't say it's not fixed - of course it's not! Well, not enough for you. Did you seriously think Democrats were going to get 100% of what they wanted? Nope, that's not the way it works - especially when your party (whatever and whoever that is today) isn't in charge. Please remember, if you will, who voted the (R) Party in there...
Or were those elections rigged like Florida's too? Damn, where's my tin foil?!:O
And for God's sake, please don't talk about raging deficits. Libs have a lot of nerve even bringing this up - like it's your mantra now. Give me a break. You never saw a social program you didn't like! Those kinds of expensive programs all but DEFINE the Left!
Example: Many of you on the Left refused to concede that the Welfare system was failing the very people it was designed to serve even as our urban centers collapsed under the weight of drugs and crime.
NO ONE is going to get 100% of what they want. It's a fact. Even when the Dems were completely in charge of both houses, it certainly tilted in their favor, but it wasn't 100%.
Could there have been any other title more disrespectful and threatening than that "Hate Bush!" bash in Hollywood? And when Bush gets reelected in 2004, will these people still fight anything he does, even if it's beneficial, because they can't see past the fact that they aren't in charge?
Actually, it's harder to get things done when the Texas Dems all decide to go on a little jaunt to New Mexico to escape their voters. A fine way to run a government there. This is exactly what I'm talking about - and don't think the people don't notice these shennanigans. It doesn't get much more shameful than this.
This goes beyond taking the 'W' keys off of keyboards and childish B.S. like that. A state legislature goes off on a bender to run away from a job they were elected to do - like it or not. Personally, I don't understand why they aren't all in jail for dereliction of duty. I wonder how much good and needed legislation was not passed during that session because of their selfishness and lust for power.
You should read up more. There's been FAR more redistricting done by Democrats in this country than the other way around. Also note that this was sanctioned by a FEDERAL court as as well. You know, sometimes your side does lose voters - it's a fact.
And... If I may add, please remember who put those nasty-wasty Wepubwicans in office as a majority to begin with in the great state of Texas. Was the election rigged then also? Maybe the underpriviledged and downtrodden in Texas had trouble at the polls? You know how complicated THOSE THINGS are...
So, in spite, it would be better to not try at all until we get someone else in office?
You Bush-haters amaze me. Every day you find yet another way to cut your own noses off. Whatever happened to caring about good policy or ideas REGARDLESS of where it came from? Alright, you don't like the man. Fine. But that doesn't mean you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Last I checked, the news isn't all bad. I personally think the idea of going to Mars should certainly be explored.
Until bitter Democrats can see past their hate (tinged by fear) and lust for revenge they are doomed to continue to lose. They'd be better off sticking to the issues and SOLVING problems (not just bitching about them or what personality they think is responsible).
America and the world watch more than your press releases about what Bush did this week. They also watch what you've done (or haven't). Think about it.
...then WHO? If not now then WHEN? Ben Bova's book about Mars (interestingly enough called, 'Mars'), makes it clear that he felt this should be an international concern - if only for the high cost.
OTOH, look at the problems that occurred with ISS. Shit, they still haven't even been able to agree what to CALL IT (Alpha, ISS, etc.) If some country's funding gets cut due to a bad economy it all falls down.
So if the U.S. doesn't at least lead in a project like this, how long will it be until it DOES happen? I should say that we've had enough experience landing there in one piece by now.
If this is done, why not show the people at the treasury WHY it's a bad idea through a little.. Uh. Kinesthetic Learning Excersise.
Why get the personal names, email addresses, and street addresses of those who made the decision and share the love? Wasn't this sort of thing done with a certain spammer in Michigan?
You could start with Treasury Secretary John Snow...
I considered responding to this anonyously since I know that someone will 'troll' me for it, but...
Please consider not only the listeners but the TYPE of material being listened to. The way I figure it is: Say you have someone who pulls up to you in their tricked-out Honda with a stereo playing loud enough to stop most digestive systems. What do you suppose that person's definition of 'quality' is? How 'kickin' the bass is probably since you certainly can't hear anything else!
Somewhere along the line audio fidelity turned from having well balanced highs, mids, and lows to "Dude, I can't FEEL it yet!" Since it is the youth market that Sony and most other consumer electronics companies (well, all but Bose) cater to, this might explain why high fidelity isn't considered a necessity.
...All your nanotubes are belong to us....In Sovia Russia, nanotubes make YOU compute!...Look at the monkey! Look at the silly nanotube monkey!...etc...
"I can't wait to read that SCO has finally died, and that its officials and officers are being brought up on criminal charges."
SCO dies: Yes, eventually. It will be a slow, agonizing death methinks.
Charges Brought: Are you kidding me? Nope. Darl and his crew laugh at all of us because he knows, regardless the outcome, that there's a sweet tropical island with his name on it.
You can disagree and not be disagreeable, but apparently that's not your... Uh. Style.
I'm not going to call your post 'dumb', but we certainly have a difference of perspective and opinion.
We'll have to wait and see about the video quality won't we? Last I checked, Apex has never used Via components before (unless you know otherwise). Via's Epia quality is excellent. I should know - I've installed at least 6 of the Nehemiah-based Epia's here where I work. Simply beautiful design. Perhaps this is the very reason why both companies decided to work together on this project.
As to the physical design, my point was that it is designed as an entertainment component rather than your average beige box. Sure, you can get a small form factor machine but the cases alone are very expensive for what you get IMHO.
I'm *not* assuming about the "wide open" part. If you read the article you would have noticed that this is being marketed as being hackable.
Where Valve is concerned, well EVERY video game manufacturer deals with card/gfx manufacturer issues. When you're as big as Valve you can expect companies to design their chips and drivers around your game - to an extent. But what about the old cards still floating around? Only a small percentage of people out there are going to actually run out and buy a new gfx card just to play a certain game.
Example: Valve spent months trying to get decent framerates on GeForce FX hardware because of their poor pixel shader implemementation. Gee, why'd they do that? Why didn't they just 'let it go' at 20 FPS? Because they knew quite a few customers out there have this series of cards.
And what's with this assertion that DeltaChrome is 'shitty'? For what purpose? I've seen the test results, and it's certainly no Radeon 9800XT, but consider that you'll be dealing with lower resolutions on TV. Even on 480i HDTV. So then, the difference becomes running Quake III at 400+ FPS on some top of the line card or around 80-100 FPS on the S3. Wow. Funny, I didn't notice the difference either.
How about thinking things through before YOU post next time?
"yo can already do this with several of the Kiss DVD players..."
Sure you can, as long as you use specific codecs. What if you'd like to use Xvid instead? Or.OGG for audio? Having a relatively open machine like this will mean that all codecs can finally have support in a decent form factor, at a decent cost.
Yes but with all of those examples it means hacking the shit out of things (not to mention the expense). And God help you if you use a hacked ROM on Xbox, leave it activated and then go on Xbox Live. They kick your ass!
Also, look at it this way; with a standardized and relatively open platform it might mean that a multitasking processor is finally good for something in a console.
1) This baby not only has Composite and S-Video, but also COMPONENT Out!
2) Portability and suitability for the case design.
3) Pre-assembled and parts guaranteed to work with each other.
4) A single platform that can safely be written for. Because it is wide open, you could well see significant Linux development (PVR, games, etc.) without the usual PC worries over sound, gfx, or chipset drivers.
Think of all the time a company like Valve has had to spend making sure that their games work on 'X' brand's gfx card. Then there are differing generations within that company's platform!
... Not once but several times playing Rogue Squadron II. There is a known bug in the 'Hoth' scene that, if you happen to hit it, will lock the machine up solid.
That said, I've never seen it crash on any other game - ever.
Yeah but.. Wormage. It doesn't matter if you have a firewall if someone contracts the Nachi worm on their laptop and plugs in the CAT 5. It's happened here, and it sucks.
Slashdot Mirror
...a few months after going public. As with most companies who go public, the goal becomes shareholder value - at all costs.
You watch how Google slowly goes down the tubes as itchy investors (who spent too much damn money on the stock in the first place), expect *BIG* returns. This doesn't always happen. I believe most companies in fact improve after going public. But investing idiots (see SCOX) risk huge amounts of money betting on tech stocks and so the pressure to perform often outweighs what would be considered REASONABLE returns for most.
I don't want to see it happen, so don't think this is some sort of troll - but I know all too well the record of high flying tech companies like this. When their focus changes, the service will start to suck.
Not to be redundant but Yahoo! pissed me off in much the same way - over what most would think was such a little thing. Yahoo! used, USED to be my home page. Then they started using intrusive and annoying flash ads. I accepted that, but then they did the unthinkable - they STOLE MY CURSOR!
Look, just because they're my home page doesn't mean I always want to search for something. In fact 9/10ths of the time I just want to type in an address.
So when you combine the two features, you have me opening up my browser and immediately start to type something like 'www.somethingorother.com' in their SEARCH BAR instead of the address field. Arrrgh!
And...
It's....
OUTTA THERE!
So... I wonder if they'll consider validating MRAM more quickly if Flash is found to be more error prone.
You know how NASA works. The Space Shuttle running on 486's and whatnot. I understand the science behind that reasoning, as sad as a 66 MHz processor seems to us geeks nowadays, but I wonder if MRAM will prove more flexible and stable for future space missions.
I don't think this is as disasterous as is feared (yet). So MS wants to patent their way of saving information to an open standard? Fine by me if they want to set a legal basis for their formatting.
But should they start some shit over other office document compatibility with that standard - THAT my friends will be a war.
Let's not forget that MS currently has a Wordperfect filter built-in to Office - it's certainly no stranger to support of alien formats. Given the tightrope they constantly walk with the DOJ, I can't see this as interfering with something like OOo's ability to open/save to it.
Now THAT'S how damage control should work. The company took full responsibility and is offering a generous compensation.
It is disturbing that they had not caught this earlier, but I think that they are more than making up for their shortcomings.
I wish more organizations worked like this. Good word of mouth goes a long way on the Internet - see New Egg's success as an example.
As the P4 EE proves, more cache is really important to the performance of the P4. Take a look at the specs of all but one of the new Prescotts' and you'll see that they come with 1 MB of cache instead of the Northwood standard of 512K.
That should at least allow Prescott to be on par with if not exceed the performance of Northwood. That said, I wouldn't expect it to be faster in everything. Those extra stages will hurt for certain functions no matter WHAT the cache.
http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/boombox/graphics/s harp-gf777z.jpg
The mighty Sharp GF-777. Shortwave radio, AM/FM, two cassette decks, an 'echo chamber' with mic jack and mixing. In short - the works! To this day, it still provides sound from my computer and it's connected to two nice Sony floor speakers.
Only the GF-888 was bigger - and I only ever saw two of these. One was on a beach entertaining pretty much the ENTIRE beach. It had TWO handles! I shudder to think how many 'D' cells it took to power it up as my 777 used 12 of 'em!
...energy, resources, money, and more. These people should be run out on a rail - big time. Every corp that got a letter like this should be asking (demanding) for the same proof. As the old Wendy's spokesperson used to yell, "WHERE'S THE BEEF?!"
...I really do want to know why I should use this in a Win2K environment. My boss wouldn't care what I get as long as it does the job. What I want to know is: Can this server provide me with tools to form a good bridge between Windows, Apple, and Linux clients?
SAMBA 3, from what I read is GREAT, but it in no way yet compares to the ease of use of MS's Active Directory tools (at least in configuring Windows clients).
What do these really mean? NASA for instance, has been trying to do things on the cheap - not necessarily a bad thing.
But if something happens to a probe out there, there's no human around for an immediate intervention. How many probes would NOT have crashed if there were active humans abord? Hard to say because no human-based mission will be that cheap.
Then there have been stupid mistakes - like the botched Metric/Imperial figures. I think something like that would have been caught by humans on a long 9 month (give or take) trip.
"Lord, it seems so simple."
I agree! But it's like that scene from 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World' where they try to split up the shares of the treasure.
"We figured it seventeen different ways, and every time we figured it it was no good, because no matter how we figured it somebody didn't like the way we figured it. So now there's only one way to figure it, and that is every man - including the old bag - for himself."
Whether it's greed for gold or lust for power, it's all sillyness in the end.
Priority... Right. Like fixing Medicare? Wasn't THAT a priority? Didn't at least SOME from your party not only help write the bill but also VOTE for it. Hmmmm? Well... Done. Next!
:O
And don't say it's not fixed - of course it's not! Well, not enough for you. Did you seriously think Democrats were going to get 100% of what they wanted? Nope, that's not the way it works - especially when your party (whatever and whoever that is today) isn't in charge. Please remember, if you will, who voted the (R) Party in there...
Or were those elections rigged like Florida's too? Damn, where's my tin foil?!
And for God's sake, please don't talk about raging deficits. Libs have a lot of nerve even bringing this up - like it's your mantra now. Give me a break. You never saw a social program you didn't like! Those kinds of expensive programs all but DEFINE the Left!
Example: Many of you on the Left refused to concede that the Welfare system was failing the very people it was designed to serve even as our urban centers collapsed under the weight of drugs and crime.
NO ONE is going to get 100% of what they want. It's a fact. Even when the Dems were completely in charge of both houses, it certainly tilted in their favor, but it wasn't 100%.
You may not hate him, but you find it hard to give him credit for anything just the same. Don't feel bad, you're in good company:
c J: www.indystar.com/articles/4/098743-5314-021.html+% 22hate+bush%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:YkwdgzL1lT
Could there have been any other title more disrespectful and threatening than that "Hate Bush!" bash in Hollywood? And when Bush gets reelected in 2004, will these people still fight anything he does, even if it's beneficial, because they can't see past the fact that they aren't in charge?
Actually, it's harder to get things done when the Texas Dems all decide to go on a little jaunt to New Mexico to escape their voters. A fine way to run a government there. This is exactly what I'm talking about - and don't think the people don't notice these shennanigans. It doesn't get much more shameful than this.
This goes beyond taking the 'W' keys off of keyboards and childish B.S. like that. A state legislature goes off on a bender to run away from a job they were elected to do - like it or not. Personally, I don't understand why they aren't all in jail for dereliction of duty. I wonder how much good and needed legislation was not passed during that session because of their selfishness and lust for power.
You should read up more. There's been FAR more redistricting done by Democrats in this country than the other way around. Also note that this was sanctioned by a FEDERAL court as as well. You know, sometimes your side does lose voters - it's a fact.
And... If I may add, please remember who put those nasty-wasty Wepubwicans in office as a majority to begin with in the great state of Texas. Was the election rigged then also? Maybe the underpriviledged and downtrodden in Texas had trouble at the polls? You know how complicated THOSE THINGS are...
So, in spite, it would be better to not try at all until we get someone else in office?
You Bush-haters amaze me. Every day you find yet another way to cut your own noses off. Whatever happened to caring about good policy or ideas REGARDLESS of where it came from? Alright, you don't like the man. Fine. But that doesn't mean you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Last I checked, the news isn't all bad. I personally think the idea of going to Mars should certainly be explored.
Until bitter Democrats can see past their hate (tinged by fear) and lust for revenge they are doomed to continue to lose. They'd be better off sticking to the issues and SOLVING problems (not just bitching about them or what personality they think is responsible).
America and the world watch more than your press releases about what Bush did this week. They also watch what you've done (or haven't). Think about it.
...then WHO? If not now then WHEN? Ben Bova's book about Mars (interestingly enough called, 'Mars'), makes it clear that he felt this should be an international concern - if only for the high cost.
OTOH, look at the problems that occurred with ISS. Shit, they still haven't even been able to agree what to CALL IT (Alpha, ISS, etc.) If some country's funding gets cut due to a bad economy it all falls down.
So if the U.S. doesn't at least lead in a project like this, how long will it be until it DOES happen? I should say that we've had enough experience landing there in one piece by now.
If this is done, why not show the people at the treasury WHY it's a bad idea through a little.. Uh. Kinesthetic Learning Excersise.
Why get the personal names, email addresses, and street addresses of those who made the decision and share the love? Wasn't this sort of thing done with a certain spammer in Michigan?
You could start with Treasury Secretary John Snow...
I considered responding to this anonyously since I know that someone will 'troll' me for it, but...
Please consider not only the listeners but the TYPE of material being listened to. The way I figure it is: Say you have someone who pulls up to you in their tricked-out Honda with a stereo playing loud enough to stop most digestive systems. What do you suppose that person's definition of 'quality' is? How 'kickin' the bass is probably since you certainly can't hear anything else!
Somewhere along the line audio fidelity turned from having well balanced highs, mids, and lows to "Dude, I can't FEEL it yet!" Since it is the youth market that Sony and most other consumer electronics companies (well, all but Bose) cater to, this might explain why high fidelity isn't considered a necessity.
...All your nanotubes are belong to us. ...In Sovia Russia, nanotubes make YOU compute! ...Look at the monkey! Look at the silly nanotube monkey! ...etc...
"I can't wait to read that SCO has finally died, and that its officials and officers are being brought up on criminal charges."
SCO dies: Yes, eventually. It will be a slow, agonizing death methinks.
Charges Brought: Are you kidding me? Nope. Darl and his crew laugh at all of us because he knows, regardless the outcome, that there's a sweet tropical island with his name on it.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=scox
This is the sort of thing they're REALLY going for. M$ just helped them do it for their own reasons.
I'm telling you - this is all about the scumbag lawyers and execs getting their bling. You watch.
You can disagree and not be disagreeable, but apparently that's not your... Uh. Style.
I'm not going to call your post 'dumb', but we certainly have a difference of perspective and opinion.
We'll have to wait and see about the video quality won't we? Last I checked, Apex has never used Via components before (unless you know otherwise). Via's Epia quality is excellent. I should know - I've installed at least 6 of the Nehemiah-based Epia's here where I work. Simply beautiful design. Perhaps this is the very reason why both companies decided to work together on this project.
As to the physical design, my point was that it is designed as an entertainment component rather than your average beige box. Sure, you can get a small form factor machine but the cases alone are very expensive for what you get IMHO.
I'm *not* assuming about the "wide open" part. If you read the article you would have noticed that this is being marketed as being hackable.
Where Valve is concerned, well EVERY video game manufacturer deals with card/gfx manufacturer issues. When you're as big as Valve you can expect companies to design their chips and drivers around your game - to an extent. But what about the old cards still floating around? Only a small percentage of people out there are going to actually run out and buy a new gfx card just to play a certain game.
Example: Valve spent months trying to get decent framerates on GeForce FX hardware because of their poor pixel shader implemementation. Gee, why'd they do that? Why didn't they just 'let it go' at 20 FPS? Because they knew quite a few customers out there have this series of cards.
And what's with this assertion that DeltaChrome is 'shitty'? For what purpose? I've seen the test results, and it's certainly no Radeon 9800XT, but consider that you'll be dealing with lower resolutions on TV. Even on 480i HDTV. So then, the difference becomes running Quake III at 400+ FPS on some top of the line card or around 80-100 FPS on the S3. Wow. Funny, I didn't notice the difference either.
How about thinking things through before YOU post next time?
"yo can already do this with several of the Kiss DVD players..."
.OGG for audio? Having a relatively open machine like this will mean that all codecs can finally have support in a decent form factor, at a decent cost.
Sure you can, as long as you use specific codecs. What if you'd like to use Xvid instead? Or
Yes but with all of those examples it means hacking the shit out of things (not to mention the expense). And God help you if you use a hacked ROM on Xbox, leave it activated and then go on Xbox Live. They kick your ass!
Also, look at it this way; with a standardized and relatively open platform it might mean that a multitasking processor is finally good for something in a console.
Okay, simple:
1) This baby not only has Composite and S-Video, but also COMPONENT Out!
2) Portability and suitability for the case design.
3) Pre-assembled and parts guaranteed to work with each other.
4) A single platform that can safely be written for. Because it is wide open, you could well see significant Linux development (PVR, games, etc.) without the usual PC worries over sound, gfx, or chipset drivers.
Think of all the time a company like Valve has had to spend making sure that their games work on 'X' brand's gfx card. Then there are differing generations within that company's platform!
... Not once but several times playing Rogue Squadron II. There is a known bug in the 'Hoth' scene that, if you happen to hit it, will lock the machine up solid.
That said, I've never seen it crash on any other game - ever.
Yeah but.. Wormage. It doesn't matter if you have a firewall if someone contracts the Nachi worm on their laptop and plugs in the CAT 5. It's happened here, and it sucks.