There are many startup costs associated with setting up a new cell phone company. When you buy your phone to use with a wireless service, the line rental over the course of 12 months subsidises the cost of the phone (which in many cases can run to a few hundred pounds/dollars).
I believe it's the same with a cable company too - you're tied into a 12 month contract, which effectively covers the cost of the installation of the service at your property.
In my opinion, a "power user" is not necessarily someone who overworks their computer - not even someone with the latest and greatest hardware - but someone who knows how to get the most out of the hardware they'd got, ie, pushes it to the limit.
Why should how rich or famous the two parties are affect anything? Say, for example, my name was Bill Gates, and I worked in McDonalds for £4.25 per hour. Would this give a richer Bill Gates more or less rights than me?
IMHO, if a domain name has been registered in good faith, ie, not to rip off someone famous, then I believe in first come, first served.
IMO, there's many points in putting Linux on an XBox. XBox is simply a PC, with a custom security methods. So theoretically at some stage in the future, any version of Linux could easily be made to run on XBox. In addition, say I wished to use Crossover Office - a x86 program - I couldn't run this on a PS2. I wouldn't want my main workstation to be an XBox, but IMHO there is certainly much point in being able to run Linux on XBox.
...but very few people have FireWire or USB2 enabled machines, so it's kind of a moot point anyway.
Very few people have Firewire or USB2 at the moment, but why not make devices like these future proof? So that 18 months down the line, it isn't relatively obsolete when all new computers come with high-speed serial connections as standard.
I very much doubt if Eolas' holding these patents would end Microsoft's dominance of the web browser. As long as future versions of Windows include Internet Explorer, the masses will continue to use it. It doesn't bother Joe Consumer what his browser does, whether it supports ActiveX et al. As long as he can double-click on "The Internet" he'll be happy.
The company I get my cable TV package from, NTL, offers 100 digital TV channels for 6 GBP. Granted, the majority of them I'll never watch - I think I've watched about five of them altogether (mostly music channels) - but if they offered them separately, the cost would work out at 6p per channel. I very much doubt that NTL would offer someone who wants to watch, for instance, Discovery Home and Leisure, this channel for 6p - there would probably be a massive price increase.
Slightly OT, in the UK, cable operators are required to offer their services separately - ie, they are required to be able to offer customers the opportunity to purchase TV separately from phone services, or broadband Internet. The way NTL get round this is to advertise the TV package for a certain price, with the telephone thrown in free.
For some of us, the CDs themselves are the backups. Most of my day is sitting in front of a computer, and I don't have time to switch CDs every time I get fed up of a certain band.
I'm sure there's quite a lot of people who download MP3s and other files without paying, but there are also many people who buy their CDs and will convert libraries to MP3, for ease of use.
I'm not sure whether you are referring to the US price, or the UK price for Apple Systems, however, the 700 Mhz iMac is available for £999 in the UK - under a grand.
Is the 100Mhz speed boost really worth it when you consider that for the Apple price you'll receive the 15" LCD screen? Bear in mind that you'll also have the benefit of dedicated Apple support for OS X, and genuine Mac Hardware. I believe that you can run versions of PPC Linux on the iMac, so unless you really want to run AmigaOS, I don't see any real benefits over the long term.
If their changes were that radical, nobody would wait for "...next time I buy a computer.." and would actually do it NOW.
I can't agree with you there. My current computer is an 900 Mhz Athlon, although I feel pretty sure my next system will be a G4 (or G5, depending on when I buy it). At the moment, my financial situation doesn't allow for me to invest in new computer hardware, particulary a £3000 Apple Mac. I'm sure many other people will be in this same position.
My point is, although some people say a Mac will be their next computer, given the chance - and resources - we would actually buy it right away.
I switched from Windows to Mandrake earlier in the year, but not directly because of the open source aspect. My main reasons for switching were: Stability Cost (although I can use Windows for free if I was so inclined) Privacy issues Secure - in terms of viruses
I do realise that many people couldn't care less whether their operating system is proprietary or free, however, I know the benefits that open source software brings and I do benefit from that indirectly, in terms of the reasons I mentioned earlier.
The idea I was thinking about is similar to that used by download accelerators, such as Getright - whereby it breaks the file into different segments and then compiles it upon completion. This would be similar, apart from the different segments would be downloaded by different IP addresses.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not thinking of this to download websites or check my email. But IMHO useful purposes include: Downloading large ISOs Streaming movies while using other internet applications in the background. Running a server, whose packets would be based upon available bandwidth.
And the best thing is IMO, there wouldn't be a single point of failure, as the routing/switching would be carried out by each user's Wireless Router.
I've been thinking for a while of a community wireless network with multiple broadband connections. ie, in a Wireless network with 20 users, 12 of which have cable modems/DSL, the resources could be pooled to create maximum bandwidth and efficiency.
For example, if I'm the only person in the street using the internet, then the network software could pool those 12 connections, using the unused bandwidth.
Of course, this goes against the idea of broadband, where the fact that someone else isn't using the connection means that I'd get my full bandwidth.
Would this sort of idea be possible to implement with current software and hardware?
Both micromachining and nanotech are still in their infancy. It is unlikely that we will see micromachines or nanotech advanced enough to created video-rate animated objects in our lifetime.
I was born in the early 80s, my first computer being a C64. I think it's fair to say that personal computing was in its infancy then. Just look at the size/speed of a laptop. Or of a desktop machine. Now look at today, and the advances we've made, just 20 years later.
Who's to say in another 20 years, technology won't have advanced to a point where nano-technology isn't in its infancy?
Our BART system, for example, has been in service for something like 30 years and still doesn't run to the Silicon Valley or any of the airports.
I was on vacation in San Francisco in February of this year, and it appears that they are linking SFO Airport to the BART system. Obviously as I'm not a resident of this area, I can't comment much about this, but someone who lives in the Bay Area might be able to let us know more.
From what I understand, the capsules move in a vacuum, which would require no power once they start moving, basically due to a lack of friction. As long as each capsule has a small power supply, to cover uses such as oxygen, braking, I would feel relatively safe in the event of a power failure on the "outside".
She lost a chance at a $65,000 contract job at the Discovery channel because of this.
I'm not too sure what it's like in other countries, but in the UK the chances are that she wouldn't be able to sue because she lost a chance at a job.
Basically, when suing for lost earnings/damages, the court has to decide what damages are valid, and what aren't. And generally, when something has caused someone to lose a chance at a job, no damages would be awarded.
Any thoughts on what the situation is like elsewhere?
Before I got DirecTV our cable bill went up every year like clock work.
I have cable in the UK, and I also work for largest UK cable company, NTL. A root cause of many of the complaints we receive is how the cable service always seems to cost more. If you look at any other product/service then you'll see that the price will go up - it's called inflation. It's the same thing which provides for an annual pay rise for most people.
I realise that most people would probably expect their cable bill to stay constant, but for the cable companies to stay in business, (my employers are just about to emerge from chapter 11) price rises are inevitable. It's a fact of life.
Would you agree with the fact that a desktop OS should be vulnerable to viruses, simply by looking at an e-mail message? or by opening a Word document?
I'm not saying that Windows XP/any version aren't acceptable desktop OS's for some people, since at this point in time I wouldn't say that Linux/BSD OS's are necessarily ready for first-time users. (Althought I've not seen Lindows or Xandros yet - I'm basing these assumptions on the likes of Mandrake/Redhat/Suse, etc).
For people like myself, however, who are technically-minded, Linux is a highly-acceptable desktop operating system. With KDE3, it can look both professional and stylish, and the buttons on my panel open my 8 most used programs - any less-frequently used program is just a couple of clicks away on the K menu.
While Linux/BSD isn't yet an acceptable desktop OS for many people, there are equally many who find it perfect for their needs.
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I believe it's the same with a cable company too - you're tied into a 12 month contract, which effectively covers the cost of the installation of the service at your property.
Tim
I thought that happened - what did I miss? :)
In my opinion, a "power user" is not necessarily someone who overworks their computer - not even someone with the latest and greatest hardware - but someone who knows how to get the most out of the hardware they'd got, ie, pushes it to the limit.
Why should how rich or famous the two parties are affect anything? Say, for example, my name was Bill Gates, and I worked in McDonalds for £4.25 per hour. Would this give a richer Bill Gates more or less rights than me?
IMHO, if a domain name has been registered in good faith, ie, not to rip off someone famous, then I believe in first come, first served.
Tim
IMO, there's many points in putting Linux on an XBox. XBox is simply a PC, with a custom security methods. So theoretically at some stage in the future, any version of Linux could easily be made to run on XBox. In addition, say I wished to use Crossover Office - a x86 program - I couldn't run this on a PS2. I wouldn't want my main workstation to be an XBox, but IMHO there is certainly much point in being able to run Linux on XBox.
Tim
Very few people have Firewire or USB2 at the moment, but why not make devices like these future proof? So that 18 months down the line, it isn't relatively obsolete when all new computers come with high-speed serial connections as standard.
Tim
If you try:
http://us.altavista.com or
http://uk.altavista.com
then you'll be able to access the English versions. I believe you can also set cookies.
Tim
I very much doubt if Eolas' holding these patents would end Microsoft's dominance of the web browser. As long as future versions of Windows include Internet Explorer, the masses will continue to use it. It doesn't bother Joe Consumer what his browser does, whether it supports ActiveX et al. As long as he can double-click on "The Internet" he'll be happy.
Tim
Sorry - I should just clarify that the price for those 100 TV channels is on top of the monthly line rental (19.50 GBP).
Slightly OT, in the UK, cable operators are required to offer their services separately - ie, they are required to be able to offer customers the opportunity to purchase TV separately from phone services, or broadband Internet. The way NTL get round this is to advertise the TV package for a certain price, with the telephone thrown in free.
Tim
I'm sure there's quite a lot of people who download MP3s and other files without paying, but there are also many people who buy their CDs and will convert libraries to MP3, for ease of use.
Tim
Is the 100Mhz speed boost really worth it when you consider that for the Apple price you'll receive the 15" LCD screen? Bear in mind that you'll also have the benefit of dedicated Apple support for OS X, and genuine Mac Hardware. I believe that you can run versions of PPC Linux on the iMac, so unless you really want to run AmigaOS, I don't see any real benefits over the long term.
Tim
It means that the speed has been bumped (up).
I can't agree with you there. My current computer is an 900 Mhz Athlon, although I feel pretty sure my next system will be a G4 (or G5, depending on when I buy it). At the moment, my financial situation doesn't allow for me to invest in new computer hardware, particulary a £3000 Apple Mac. I'm sure many other people will be in this same position.
My point is, although some people say a Mac will be their next computer, given the chance - and resources - we would actually buy it right away.
Tim
I switched from Windows to Mandrake earlier in the year, but not directly because of the open source aspect. My main reasons for switching were:
Stability
Cost (although I can use Windows for free if I was so inclined)
Privacy issues
Secure - in terms of viruses
I do realise that many people couldn't care less whether their operating system is proprietary or free, however, I know the benefits that open source software brings and I do benefit from that indirectly, in terms of the reasons I mentioned earlier.
Tim
Even if you did log traffic, it doesn't actually appear that you'd be able to tell us :-)
Don't get me wrong - I'm not thinking of this to download websites or check my email. But IMHO useful purposes include:
Downloading large ISOs
Streaming movies while using other internet applications in the background.
Running a server, whose packets would be based upon available bandwidth.
And the best thing is IMO, there wouldn't be a single point of failure, as the routing/switching would be carried out by each user's Wireless Router.
Tim
For example, if I'm the only person in the street using the internet, then the network software could pool those 12 connections, using the unused bandwidth.
Of course, this goes against the idea of broadband, where the fact that someone else isn't using the connection means that I'd get my full bandwidth.
Would this sort of idea be possible to implement with current software and hardware?
Tim
I was born in the early 80s, my first computer being a C64. I think it's fair to say that personal computing was in its infancy then. Just look at the size/speed of a laptop. Or of a desktop machine. Now look at today, and the advances we've made, just 20 years later.
Who's to say in another 20 years, technology won't have advanced to a point where nano-technology isn't in its infancy?
Tim
I was on vacation in San Francisco in February of this year, and it appears that they are linking SFO Airport to the BART system. Obviously as I'm not a resident of this area, I can't comment much about this, but someone who lives in the Bay Area might be able to let us know more.
Tim
Tim
I'm not too sure what it's like in other countries, but in the UK the chances are that she wouldn't be able to sue because she lost a chance at a job.
Basically, when suing for lost earnings/damages, the court has to decide what damages are valid, and what aren't. And generally, when something has caused someone to lose a chance at a job, no damages would be awarded.
Any thoughts on what the situation is like elsewhere?
Tim
I have cable in the UK, and I also work for largest UK cable company, NTL. A root cause of many of the complaints we receive is how the cable service always seems to cost more. If you look at any other product/service then you'll see that the price will go up - it's called inflation. It's the same thing which provides for an annual pay rise for most people.
I realise that most people would probably expect their cable bill to stay constant, but for the cable companies to stay in business, (my employers are just about to emerge from chapter 11) price rises are inevitable. It's a fact of life.
Tim
Would you agree with the fact that a desktop OS should be vulnerable to viruses, simply by looking at an e-mail message? or by opening a Word document?
I'm not saying that Windows XP/any version aren't acceptable desktop OS's for some people, since at this point in time I wouldn't say that Linux/BSD OS's are necessarily ready for first-time users. (Althought I've not seen Lindows or Xandros yet - I'm basing these assumptions on the likes of Mandrake/Redhat/Suse, etc).
For people like myself, however, who are technically-minded, Linux is a highly-acceptable desktop operating system. With KDE3, it can look both professional and stylish, and the buttons on my panel open my 8 most used programs - any less-frequently used program is just a couple of clicks away on the K menu.
While Linux/BSD isn't yet an acceptable desktop OS for many people, there are equally many who find it perfect for their needs.
Tim
3-way calling