The XO is designed to work without one. No mains, no shade, no dust-free environment, no roof to keep the rain out...
What makes the XO special is what it is what it _does not need_.
The BBC don't own, and therefore can't (be seen to) give away, the content.
They have to at least pretend to make it difficult to 'hack' the player and capture the content.
If they release a Windows player and it gets hacked, no-one cares (yet another Windows hack, film at 11).
If they release a Linux player and it gets hacked they'll be roasted for loosing the content (how dumb are you? releasing a player on a platform where users can recompile the kernel to defeat your DRM?!?!).
... it's not like they pushed out a disadvantageous update...
How do you know what they pushed out?
An update notifier downloads a list of the latest available versions of your software, compares it with what you have installed and highlights differences.
Unless someone can explain to me why such a simple process needs an update I'm going to suspect that the 'new and improved' version adds some new features (which may or may not be in my best interests (given MS's track record, forgive me if I assume the latter)).
A new-and-improved GUI isn't sufficient reason to upgrade, the old-and-inferior version of the updater should still work. Even if the client/server protocol changes the Right Way to handle this is for the server to support old clients, not to force an update on the clients. If a catastrophic flaw is discovered that mandates an update, then mark the update as 'critical'.
One of the things you're supposed to get when you fork out hundreds of bucks for a 50 cent CD is trust. After all, isn't that a big part of MS's anti-OSS-FUD campaign ("how can you trust a bunch of smelly hippies?").
When MS deliberately override a decision their customers make then they don't deserve that trust. That might sound harsh, but when you're as big as MS that's the standard you should be judged by.
When I set my computer to "don't even bother checking for upgrades" and it
- checks for
- downloads and
- installs
an upgrade anyway it's not just a "PR cock-up".
You must be thinking of one of those weird lawsuits that actually goes to trial, where evidence is heard dispassionately and the plaintiff is laughed out of court (but not before doing squillions of dollars worth of PR damage to the defendant).
I'm thinking of a _real_ lawsuit, the kind that's quietly settled with a big fat NDA before ever going anywhere near court.
Fair comment.... I could have been a bit clearer in my original post:
I'm waiting for the first lawsuit when someone hits something (or someone) and then blames the system for not being perfect (blind spot, distortion, latency, colours wrong.....).
In the land where you can sue for burning yourself on a "HOT apple pie" at the same time that you can sue if the contents aren't sufficiently hot, I'm guessing this is only a matter of time.
... as long as the latency is roughly symmetric, which it usually is for small packets.
Unless you're on a slow link (dial-up) with a saturated downlink (i.e. downloading something) and a mostly idle uplink (ASK-s only).
I found that client-to-server time was roughly constant, 150-250ms. server-to-client was about the same of an idle link, up to 6 seconds(!) when downloading stuff.
For Christian, the biggest deal was sysadmins who had to learn Linux.
No, the biggest challenge would have been sysadmins capable of doing basic math.
Now lets see... from 60+ servers to 15 (*), reduction of at least 75%.
((*)15 PHYSICAL servers, plus a few VIRTUAL ones thanks to Xen. Still a significant reduction)
Even if you keep the same admin/server ratio that's a change of admin staff of..... let me do the math.....
To aid the process, Christian looked specifically for new hires who were eager to learn.
Oh yeah... I'd be feeling _real_ good if I was an admin there right now....
Mindbridge Software... business innovator... managed solutions... integrate... continuously improve work-related tasks across your organization... intranet offerings significantly improve the ability of people at all levels... effectively collaborate... securely manage their corporate data... bottom-line cost efficiency.
Only a REAL company could string so many meaningless buzzwords together!
A disproportionate number of speeding tickers are issued to red cars(*) (correlation).
It therefore follows that painting your red car will make it go faster (bogus cause-effect).
In reality, hoons tend to buy red cars, and hoons tend to speed.
(*) I actually saw an article about this in the local paper. Damn pity I didn't keep it.....
Slashdot Mirror
it's getting them to *want* to learn to read
The best way to get kids to want do anything is to do it in front of them.
Kids copy, always have, always will.
If you read then chances are they will too.
... without a classROOM?
...
The XO is designed to work without one. No mains, no shade, no dust-free environment, no roof to keep the rain out
What makes the XO special is what it is what it _does not need_.
What is stopping them to hire production companies as contractors for content whose copyright would belong to the BBC?
Lack of money?
is there any redundancy to the power generation when the shirt takes a hit?
Darn, no power. If only I could play some soothing tunes on my iPod to take my mind off my sucking chest wound......
The BBC don't own, and therefore can't (be seen to) give away, the content.
They have to at least pretend to make it difficult to 'hack' the player and capture the content.
If they release a Windows player and it gets hacked, no-one cares (yet another Windows hack, film at 11).
If they release a Linux player and it gets hacked they'll be roasted for loosing the content (how dumb are you? releasing a player on a platform where users can recompile the kernel to defeat your DRM?!?!).
Harsh, but fair.
... it's not like they pushed out a disadvantageous update ...
How do you know what they pushed out?
An update notifier downloads a list of the latest available versions of your software, compares it with what you have installed and highlights differences.
Unless someone can explain to me why such a simple process needs an update I'm going to suspect that the 'new and improved' version adds some new features (which may or may not be in my best interests (given MS's track record, forgive me if I assume the latter)).
A new-and-improved GUI isn't sufficient reason to upgrade, the old-and-inferior version of the updater should still work. Even if the client/server protocol changes the Right Way to handle this is for the server to support old clients, not to force an update on the clients. If a catastrophic flaw is discovered that mandates an update, then mark the update as 'critical'.
One of the things you're supposed to get when you fork out hundreds of bucks for a 50 cent CD is trust. After all, isn't that a big part of MS's anti-OSS-FUD campaign ("how can you trust a bunch of smelly hippies?").
When MS deliberately override a decision their customers make then they don't deserve that trust. That might sound harsh, but when you're as big as MS that's the standard you should be judged by.
To be honest I have no first-hand experience of this 'feature' (I haven't been brave enough to run Windows on a 'net connected machine in years :-)
So Windows only downloaded and installed a program, _despite_ the users express wishes. I guess that's only 2/3 of a major breach of trust.
Still more just a "PR cock-up" though.
When I set my computer to "don't even bother checking for upgrades" and it
- checks for
- downloads and
- installs
an upgrade anyway it's not just a "PR cock-up".
It's a major breach of trust.
They're NEXT!
1) I guess MS are "embracing and extending" the "borg" title :-)
2) what happens after Windows 9?
Exactly! All they need are the private keys MS uses to sign the updates.. oh wait.
Again?
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS01-017.mspx
Sounds right.... after all, they consider Vista to be an upgrade to XP.
You must be thinking of one of those weird lawsuits that actually goes to trial, where evidence is heard dispassionately and the plaintiff is laughed out of court (but not before doing squillions of dollars worth of PR damage to the defendant).
I'm thinking of a _real_ lawsuit, the kind that's quietly settled with a big fat NDA before ever going anywhere near court.
Fair comment.... I could have been a bit clearer in my original post:
.....).
I'm waiting for the first lawsuit when someone hits something (or someone) and then blames the system for not being perfect (blind spot, distortion, latency, colours wrong
In the land where you can sue for burning yourself on a "HOT apple pie" at the same time that you can sue if the contents aren't sufficiently hot, I'm guessing this is only a matter of time.
... after the cameras fail to spot something (or someone).
... a "do no evil" vs. "root of all evil" question on /.?
... that theses weren't "trusted" computers (or TPM or whatever they call them).
At least you're still able to re-format and start from scratch.....
So the whole of Europe got their asses kicked ... by a hobbit?
You're thinking of WWII, which was much later than Napoleon.
... as long as the latency is roughly symmetric, which it usually is for small packets.
Unless you're on a slow link (dial-up) with a saturated downlink (i.e. downloading something) and a mostly idle uplink (ASK-s only).
I found that client-to-server time was roughly constant, 150-250ms. server-to-client was about the same of an idle link, up to 6 seconds(!) when downloading stuff.
For Christian, the biggest deal was sysadmins who had to learn Linux.
No, the biggest challenge would have been sysadmins capable of doing basic math.
Now lets see... from 60+ servers to 15 (*), reduction of at least 75%.
((*)15 PHYSICAL servers, plus a few VIRTUAL ones thanks to Xen. Still a significant reduction)
Even if you keep the same admin/server ratio that's a change of admin staff of..... let me do the math.....
To aid the process, Christian looked specifically for new hires who were eager to learn.
Oh yeah... I'd be feeling _real_ good if I was an admin there right now....
From their webpage:
... business innovator ... managed solutions ... integrate ... continuously improve work-related tasks across your organization ... intranet offerings significantly improve the ability of people at all levels ... effectively collaborate ... securely manage their corporate data ... bottom-line cost efficiency.
Mindbridge Software
Only a REAL company could string so many meaningless buzzwords together!
So you're saying the stench is traveling through the tubes?
Time to add a filter.....
What we really need is a car analogy!
A disproportionate number of speeding tickers are issued to red cars(*) (correlation).
It therefore follows that painting your red car will make it go faster (bogus cause-effect).
In reality, hoons tend to buy red cars, and hoons tend to speed.
(*) I actually saw an article about this in the local paper. Damn pity I didn't keep it.....
... and a reset button.
(Of course it's not an exact analogy, but at least it isn't a car analogy.)
....
OK, so imagine an electric car with a 220V charger