Personally, I've got no beef about it being non MP3/Ogg Vorbis as long as:
I can play the files on any computer I wish (Win32, Mac, Linux, etc etc), and the software required is free to download, the file format is well documented and the ware does NOT attempt to spy and/or phone home
I can transfer them to portable devices or put them on my file server and listen to them anywhere in the house
I can burn them onto an un-crippled CD for the few times I have recourse to use an actual Audio CD player
Yes, it'd be lovely if the file format and software was completely open sourced, but there's bound to be some DRM in there somewhere which would make such an option unthinkable to the industry types. Since this is a bit of an immovable object, I'd also require a clause in their TOS they they can't change the format or start charging for the software, so that the files you buy are always going to be playable.
Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to buy into a decent online music service, I think this is rather too much to ask for from the cartels, and I'm probably likely to stick to my file server crammed full of Ogg rips for the time being.
...burglars sue police and neighbourhood watch schemes citing stress and cause of lack of earnings.
Jeez. Words can't express my contempt. Do the people in the legal system even now what this is all about...? I hate to sound trollish, but it really seems that half of the legal world has NO CLUE about technology.
Disclaimer: I'm a computer consultant for lawyers.
Seriously though, it's nice to see a comparitively small project start with some half decent documentation from the off. If only more non-coding OSS users (like me) could get off their arses and write some (not like me, argh, I run away now)
You should worry about the bearings sticking though... HDD's that go unused for months on end (especially old ones) have a nasty habit of seizing up, so that you can't rotate the platters any more.
I'd be an awful lot happier if they were also pledging full Opteron/generic 64 bit support for their other OS's as well, at least the ones that haven't been obsoleted.
They're still meant to be supporting Win2k/Win2k Adv Server by the time the Opteron comes out, right?
May we respectfully remind you that this is in breach of Section 72, Paragraph 18, Line 20 of your Terms and Conditions. Microsoft are hereby withdrawing your usage rights on the 175 computers you are associated with (your own, your girlfriends, your parents, your friends, your employers and those of the internet cafe down the road). You will be charged $hojillion for this service.
May we also remind you that Phase 15 of our Obligatory Upgrade Scheme is due to launch in 3 weeks time, and that we require a nominal $grufozillion in order to upgrade your systems. In light of your contract breach however (mentioned above) we must also levy you for a $flooploahillion reconnection/reregistering fee.
An invoice and veiled threats of having your head kicked in by huge gorillas has been included with this letter.
I'd go one further, and say that most computer users aren't even aware of standards in the first place. As Garcia above me points out, all they want to do is click x to do y.
Trying to explain why I use OpenOffice.org instead of the same warezed copy of MS Office that half my friends use is like climbing a firemans pole on the back of a greased pig. You don't get anywhere fast. And are the users going to notice? Another $10 on top of photoshop, which most people never pay for?
I sound so despondent and critical, but it's really because the average user won't even notice issues like this, much less care.
Downloaded a truckload of drum 'n bass mixes from the net. Like alot of the Moving Shadow ones.
Then I find out the Moving Shadow label sells these mix CD's for £1-2 each. I've bought the lot, and have bought several full priced albums from that labels artists. They provide a low-cost way of getting into the bands on their label in a high quality format (dem be damn phat mixes inna area, yo), and if the listener likes them they have the opportunity to go find out more.
I'm surprised I've seen so few other labels doing this. Seems to be resrticted to the smaller niche-market indies by the looks of things.
WHAT??!??! A record label being innovative and trying to do something different?! Divide by zero error!
...scientists have created a inertial stabilising system combined with an antigravity generator, harnessing the power of an array of rapidly rotating coffins.
The main point about the original media box was that the BIOS itself was capable of decoding DVD's, so the CPU wasn't stressed with the overhead of an OS, and even then it could just about keep up with a DVD.
I dunno if this BIOS had DMA enabled in it or not though, though I'm not sure if it would help much. Fact is, this board NEEDS an MPEG2 decoder.
Maybe I'm just being stupid, but aren't desktop LCD's and laptop LCD's the same thing at heart? Namely, isn't the expensive bit the screen itself, rather than the proprietay cable that goes into it?
Politicians Accuse Terrorists but Rake In Opulent Taxes...?
Troll mod coming up...
I know the point has been made that online gambling is a great way to launder your terrorism funds, but since when was a third party shafted for someone exploiting their system? Shouldn't they be done on things that are provably legal rather than just common knowledge?
I can understand the US getting pissed of about illegal gambling, and I agree that the US should prosecute them for that. But invoking the PATRIOT act sounds like a step too far to me.
I know it's a fine point, but this sounds worryingly like guilty until proven innocent to me, at least on the terrorism angle.
I don't know whether it's due to my incompetence, but in my experience the VIA boards will only do well at DVD playback when they've got a hardware MPEG2 decoder onboard, which AFAIK this board doesn't (you need the M series with the Castle Rock intergrated graphics for that, not the trident).
I couldn't RTFA or get to the VIA site (/.'ed), so I couldn't check this out properly, but to me it sounds like they picked the wrong board. Cheap it may be, but flawless DVD playback it ain't. Even the Toms Hardware article on these boards said they weren't brilliant for this sort of thing.
I'll stick to my 1GHz P3 MythTV box for the time being.
Whilst I wish it were doomed to failure, there's always the tried and trusted "embrace and extend" strategy.
AOLTW can undercut TiVo massively with this device, so that customers who don't know about TiVo's benefits and only pay attention to the price tag will lap it up (TiVo is a niche market geek-centric machine after all). If they're clever with their marketing, they can quickly build up a huge user base, especially given they already have direct access to hundreds of AOL subscribers.
Remember, the ignorant public don't beat a path to the door of the guy who makes a better mousetrap, they beat a path to the door of the person promoting a better mousetrap.
But a whole intranet community? I don't like the idea of being LANned up with the whole estate. Surely there'll be plenty of people who have no idea how to secure their boxes and suchlike...? Could easily be a black hats heaven, especially in a corporate environment.
Mind you, it'd give the opportunity for the biggest beowulf-cluster-of-LAN-parties ever.
Re:the first thing they'd do
on
AI in Sci-Fi
·
· Score: 0
"Are you masturbating, Dave? I'm sorry, I can't allow you to do that."
I don't men to sound like a token bearded lefty, but this sounds an awful lot like "you're guilty until you've proved yourself innocent".
I for one use an anonymous proxy at work (as well as NAT, SSH, firewalls, blah) with permission from my boss since some of our work requires me to visit several locations on the internet where it would be unwise to divulge my location to ANY third party, be it legitimate or not. If this was removed, my job could no longer be performed, since I no longer have adequate safeguards.
For those of you who are interested, our work entails some computer forensic work and some visiting of what could be construed as "damaging" sites.
First I'd like the chance to decide whether I want to buy it due to it having DRM of various flavours. Buit eventually DRM is going to be the norm, and if it STILL doesn't work, what are you to do if the stores won't refund you?
The bill needs to take into account that at the moment at least DRM has serious compatability issues, and often causes media not to work, and that the consumer has a right to an alternative.
Slashdot Mirror
Personally, I've got no beef about it being non MP3/Ogg Vorbis as long as:
I can play the files on any computer I wish (Win32, Mac, Linux, etc etc), and the software required is free to download, the file format is well documented and the ware does NOT attempt to spy and/or phone home
I can transfer them to portable devices or put them on my file server and listen to them anywhere in the house
I can burn them onto an un-crippled CD for the few times I have recourse to use an actual Audio CD player
Yes, it'd be lovely if the file format and software was completely open sourced, but there's bound to be some DRM in there somewhere which would make such an option unthinkable to the industry types. Since this is a bit of an immovable object, I'd also require a clause in their TOS they they can't change the format or start charging for the software, so that the files you buy are always going to be playable.
Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to buy into a decent online music service, I think this is rather too much to ask for from the cartels, and I'm probably likely to stick to my file server crammed full of Ogg rips for the time being.
...burglars sue police and neighbourhood watch schemes citing stress and cause of lack of earnings.
Jeez. Words can't express my contempt. Do the people in the legal system even now what this is all about...? I hate to sound trollish, but it really seems that half of the legal world has NO CLUE about technology.
Disclaimer: I'm a computer consultant for lawyers.
...but hasn't Penny Arcade parodied (or, as we say over the pond, "royally taken the piss") out of about a billion things...?
The original DivX boxen
About every games developer ever
About every game ever
Seems to me like the general trend for litigiousness is changing the "sacred" into the "scared".
Maybe cos there's nothing else to document...
*rimshot*
Seriously though, it's nice to see a comparitively small project start with some half decent documentation from the off. If only more non-coding OSS users (like me) could get off their arses and write some (not like me, argh, I run away now)
You should worry about the bearings sticking though... HDD's that go unused for months on end (especially old ones) have a nasty habit of seizing up, so that you can't rotate the platters any more.
Chips in our brains?
I'm worried about chips in our stomach. One buffer overflow vulnerability, and half the world will instantaneously vomit...
I'd be an awful lot happier if they were also pledging full Opteron/generic 64 bit support for their other OS's as well, at least the ones that haven't been obsoleted.
They're still meant to be supporting Win2k/Win2k Adv Server by the time the Opteron comes out, right?
You mentioned ethical behaviour.
May we respectfully remind you that this is in breach of Section 72, Paragraph 18, Line 20 of your Terms and Conditions. Microsoft are hereby withdrawing your usage rights on the 175 computers you are associated with (your own, your girlfriends, your parents, your friends, your employers and those of the internet cafe down the road). You will be charged $hojillion for this service.
May we also remind you that Phase 15 of our Obligatory Upgrade Scheme is due to launch in 3 weeks time, and that we require a nominal $grufozillion in order to upgrade your systems. In light of your contract breach however (mentioned above) we must also levy you for a $flooploahillion reconnection/reregistering fee.
An invoice and veiled threats of having your head kicked in by huge gorillas has been included with this letter.
Thank you!
Why stop at just a Beowulf cluster?
/.'ers!
You could marry Natalie Portman, put a ring on each finger, and make a true Karma-crushing Beowulf cluster and be the envy of all fellow
I'd go one further, and say that most computer users aren't even aware of standards in the first place. As Garcia above me points out, all they want to do is click x to do y.
Trying to explain why I use OpenOffice.org instead of the same warezed copy of MS Office that half my friends use is like climbing a firemans pole on the back of a greased pig. You don't get anywhere fast. And are the users going to notice? Another $10 on top of photoshop, which most people never pay for?
I sound so despondent and critical, but it's really because the average user won't even notice issues like this, much less care.
BWAH HA HAH I've just converted all my pr0n into ASCII art. Chew on that, Forgent!
Downloaded a truckload of drum 'n bass mixes from the net. Like alot of the Moving Shadow ones.
Then I find out the Moving Shadow label sells these mix CD's for £1-2 each. I've bought the lot, and have bought several full priced albums from that labels artists. They provide a low-cost way of getting into the bands on their label in a high quality format (dem be damn phat mixes inna area, yo), and if the listener likes them they have the opportunity to go find out more.
I'm surprised I've seen so few other labels doing this. Seems to be resrticted to the smaller niche-market indies by the looks of things.
WHAT??!??! A record label being innovative and trying to do something different?! Divide by zero error!
...scientists have created a inertial stabilising system combined with an antigravity generator, harnessing the power of an array of rapidly rotating coffins.
The main point about the original media box was that the BIOS itself was capable of decoding DVD's, so the CPU wasn't stressed with the overhead of an OS, and even then it could just about keep up with a DVD.
I dunno if this BIOS had DMA enabled in it or not though, though I'm not sure if it would help much. Fact is, this board NEEDS an MPEG2 decoder.
I could never get the hang of Thursdays either.
Maybe I'm just being stupid, but aren't desktop LCD's and laptop LCD's the same thing at heart? Namely, isn't the expensive bit the screen itself, rather than the proprietay cable that goes into it?
Politicians Accuse Terrorists but Rake In Opulent Taxes...?
Troll mod coming up...
I know the point has been made that online gambling is a great way to launder your terrorism funds, but since when was a third party shafted for someone exploiting their system? Shouldn't they be done on things that are provably legal rather than just common knowledge?
I can understand the US getting pissed of about illegal gambling, and I agree that the US should prosecute them for that. But invoking the PATRIOT act sounds like a step too far to me.
I know it's a fine point, but this sounds worryingly like guilty until proven innocent to me, at least on the terrorism angle.
I don't know whether it's due to my incompetence, but in my experience the VIA boards will only do well at DVD playback when they've got a hardware MPEG2 decoder onboard, which AFAIK this board doesn't (you need the M series with the Castle Rock intergrated graphics for that, not the trident).
I couldn't RTFA or get to the VIA site (/.'ed), so I couldn't check this out properly, but to me it sounds like they picked the wrong board. Cheap it may be, but flawless DVD playback it ain't. Even the Toms Hardware article on these boards said they weren't brilliant for this sort of thing.
I'll stick to my 1GHz P3 MythTV box for the time being.
And in order to get 6.1 channel sound, you'd need to carry around an entire room with one of these screens making up each wall/floor/plane surface.
Sorry, I'm just not going to carry around an entire room to get 6.1 sound on my laptop. Although a room made of LCD screens would be good.
P.S. I'm joking.
Whilst I wish it were doomed to failure, there's always the tried and trusted "embrace and extend" strategy.
AOLTW can undercut TiVo massively with this device, so that customers who don't know about TiVo's benefits and only pay attention to the price tag will lap it up (TiVo is a niche market geek-centric machine after all). If they're clever with their marketing, they can quickly build up a huge user base, especially given they already have direct access to hundreds of AOL subscribers.
Remember, the ignorant public don't beat a path to the door of the guy who makes a better mousetrap, they beat a path to the door of the person promoting a better mousetrap.
A pre-wired house, yes I'd love it.
But a whole intranet community? I don't like the idea of being LANned up with the whole estate. Surely there'll be plenty of people who have no idea how to secure their boxes and suchlike...? Could easily be a black hats heaven, especially in a corporate environment.
Mind you, it'd give the opportunity for the biggest beowulf-cluster-of-LAN-parties ever.
"Are you masturbating, Dave? I'm sorry, I can't allow you to do that."
We're safe.
http://www.ubersoft.net/d/19970717.html
"They do seem rather questionable"?
I don't men to sound like a token bearded lefty, but this sounds an awful lot like "you're guilty until you've proved yourself innocent".
I for one use an anonymous proxy at work (as well as NAT, SSH, firewalls, blah) with permission from my boss since some of our work requires me to visit several locations on the internet where it would be unwise to divulge my location to ANY third party, be it legitimate or not. If this was removed, my job could no longer be performed, since I no longer have adequate safeguards.
For those of you who are interested, our work entails some computer forensic work and some visiting of what could be construed as "damaging" sites.
Chew: You... Nexus 6...? I... I built your buffers!
Roy: Chew... if only you could have overflowed what I have overflowed with your buffers...
Just the kind of situation I'd be worried about.
First I'd like the chance to decide whether I want to buy it due to it having DRM of various flavours. Buit eventually DRM is going to be the norm, and if it STILL doesn't work, what are you to do if the stores won't refund you?
The bill needs to take into account that at the moment at least DRM has serious compatability issues, and often causes media not to work, and that the consumer has a right to an alternative.
Maybe if I RTFA I'd see something like that...