Face it everyone, M$ is here to stay. There are legally untouchable, Windows is the standard for operating systems, and.NET Passports are everywhere (not to mention indelibly added to XP). I wouldn't be shocked at all if they replace social security numbers with them. Of course, with all the standardization, they will eventually be forced to release the source for windows and IE.
Overall, any merger is scary, and I hope it never happens. The guys at Macromedia are really sharp and they make superior software. It's not all bad if it happens though (excluding the fact that Microsoft just became even more unstoppable).
Good:
* flash comes installed with windows
* microsoft integrates macromedia into it's software
* possible optimization of flash software
* possible creation of a graphics suite capable of tackling Adobe (not to trash Photoshop or anything, but the birth of anything to rival it would be amazing)
* almost for-sure improvement in the API of flash developers who want to make actual flash applications, could show java and perl the door if they combined it with PHP directly
Bad:
* closed source, attempt to trap flash technology in the land of internet explorer
* new, more sophisticated flash ads and banners
* probably, and amazingingly, security issues with flash programs (can you imagine flash virii? - lol)
* the ruination of the clean interface of Dreamweaver and Flash development suites
* the addition of tons of bs into the clean code that dreamweaver cranks out (has anyone here looked at Word HTML? omg, nasty!)
Well, to myself and most people on Slashdot, this sounds great, but it would confuse the hell out of the average Dell PC buyer.
In all actuality, Microsoft's big hold on the market comes down to one thing -> the OS that is bundeled with the system usually stays with the system. It's amazing how OS choices that are distributed for free (not to mention more stable && secure) have been having trouble competing with the hold of M$, just because nobody knows about them (and the average user is not going to go through the "trouble" of downloading an iso and partitioning/formatting). Bundeled OS choices are the next step. They won't be burning CD's anyway - they would be commercially stamping them, which means it's even cheaper.
The moment companies like Dell, Gateway, and Compaq start shipping their PC's with an OS that is comparable in interface and ease-of-use (say, Red Hat 7.3 using KDE Desktop, or Debian with Gnome, or a plethora of other options), M$'s hold on the industry will begin to slip.
FreeDOS is a good start. Keep in mind that the problem is not with bundeled software (or OS, for that matter), but the official supported OS.
Re:This is why the populace needs to be educated.
on
Meet the Spammers
·
· Score: 1
I don't know about you, but I don't believe that large companies should be allowed to send mass junk mail for free just because they contributed to the right people in the right positions.
At the University of Missouri-Rolla, I have noticed many of the engineering departments use applications written in FORTRAN. Just because these huge programs are effective at doing what they do, however, does not mean FORTRAN is a better language. In fact, most of the most recent software I have gotten my hands on is written in C or C++.
Of recent, however, they have been moving over to C and C++. I think this is a wise move as C and C++ are better documented, more versatile, and better understood by modern programmers than FORTRAN. The key to a having easily updatable science and mathematics software lies in within those factors. Plus, C can do so much more.
FORTRAN has some nice elements, but they only carry it so far.
Yeah, and then 5 cents becomes 10, and 10 becomes 15; pretty soon the government and isps worldwide are charging on all sorts of digital communication...
This is why the populace needs to be educated.
on
Meet the Spammers
·
· Score: 1
Hmm, we have been receiving junk mail sponsored by the federal government for years in our physical mailboxes. What's going to change with e-mail? Perhaps once everyone realizes how much the system is not doing to ameliorate the problem, the people will acutally do something about it. Until then, intelligent filters will only be used by intelligent people, or at least those who care.
Nuclear power has been held back by the environmentalist movement due to ignorance and fear. Nuclear power is a viable solution to our energy problem, however, as nuclear energy:
[1] Has enormous energy output, far more than solar, wind and much more per ounce for natural gas/oil/coal-based plants. For all practical purposes, solar and wind-based energy are not effective for producing the energy we need for the population.
[2] Would stop the "clean coal" (an oxymoron) movement; over half of America's energy is coal-based, and coal produces vastly more waste per ounce of fuel than nuclear, some of which contains horrendous toxins such as arsenic, which leak into the water supply daily at the various mines. Keep in mind that every day we use coal to generate our power, we are doing more damage to our environment that nuclear ever would through mining and transportation scarring the landscape, disturbing ecosystems, etc.
[3] Has waste that is more compact and managable than oil, gas, and coal. It can be glassified and stored in corrosion-resistant containers, of which will be endangered only by subduction (a problem solved). This is well-illustrated by the Yucca Mt. repository.
[4] Is more sustainable than any other current solution, as fast-breeder reactors produce more usable fuel than they consume, and can run effectively for thousands of years.
Solar energy is promising, as well as some other energy alternatives. They need more time (fuel cells/effective solar are 50 yrs. down the road), however, before they become viable solutions.
If you are refering to an anti-virus program that spreads across the internet (not installed by the end-user) you are just inviting yourself to more attacks using the same methodology that implemented the anti-virus program.
Also, those who have been ravaged by a virus may not understand how the recieved it in the first place. Ask yourself a ?: Do you truly understand the workings of M$ ISS to have understood that it was vulnerable to CodeRed? I suspect not.
The more untested, automated update/patch (especially hidden) services become implemented, the more vulnerable you are making a system.
Virii are here to stay - Windows is known for it's horrible security problems (mostly because a good amount of virus and exploit code is written to target windows machines and services), however, keep it mind that many users running windows (the vast majority) don't understand how they became infected in the first place. Is that reason to throw them in jail if the only person they hurt was themself or their business? I might agree with you if this were applied to software vendors that claimed "security" derived from their applications, but even then - are they not subject to exploits that they could never have foreseen? Should they be held accountable for that, or is it not enough to lose one's reputation (and sales).
Slashdot Mirror
Face it everyone, M$ is here to stay. There are legally untouchable, Windows is the standard for operating systems, and .NET Passports are everywhere (not to mention indelibly added to XP). I wouldn't be shocked at all if they replace social security numbers with them. Of course, with all the standardization, they will eventually be forced to release the source for windows and IE.
Overall, any merger is scary, and I hope it never happens. The guys at Macromedia are really sharp and they make superior software. It's not all bad if it happens though (excluding the fact that Microsoft just became even more unstoppable).
Good: * flash comes installed with windows
* microsoft integrates macromedia into it's software
* possible optimization of flash software
* possible creation of a graphics suite capable of tackling Adobe (not to trash Photoshop or anything, but the birth of anything to rival it would be amazing)
* almost for-sure improvement in the API of flash developers who want to make actual flash applications, could show java and perl the door if they combined it with PHP directly
Bad: * closed source, attempt to trap flash technology in the land of internet explorer
* new, more sophisticated flash ads and banners
* probably, and amazingingly, security issues with flash programs (can you imagine flash virii? - lol)
* the ruination of the clean interface of Dreamweaver and Flash development suites
* the addition of tons of bs into the clean code that dreamweaver cranks out (has anyone here looked at Word HTML? omg, nasty!)
Well, to myself and most people on Slashdot, this sounds great, but it would confuse the hell out of the average Dell PC buyer.
In all actuality, Microsoft's big hold on the market comes down to one thing -> the OS that is bundeled with the system usually stays with the system. It's amazing how OS choices that are distributed for free (not to mention more stable && secure) have been having trouble competing with the hold of M$, just because nobody knows about them (and the average user is not going to go through the "trouble" of downloading an iso and partitioning/formatting). Bundeled OS choices are the next step. They won't be burning CD's anyway - they would be commercially stamping them, which means it's even cheaper.
The moment companies like Dell, Gateway, and Compaq start shipping their PC's with an OS that is comparable in interface and ease-of-use (say, Red Hat 7.3 using KDE Desktop, or Debian with Gnome, or a plethora of other options), M$'s hold on the industry will begin to slip.
FreeDOS is a good start. Keep in mind that the problem is not with bundeled software (or OS, for that matter), but the official supported OS.
I don't know about you, but I don't believe that large companies should be allowed to send mass junk mail for free just because they contributed to the right people in the right positions.
At the University of Missouri-Rolla, I have noticed many of the engineering departments use applications written in FORTRAN. Just because these huge programs are effective at doing what they do, however, does not mean FORTRAN is a better language. In fact, most of the most recent software I have gotten my hands on is written in C or C++.
Of recent, however, they have been moving over to C and C++. I think this is a wise move as C and C++ are better documented, more versatile, and better understood by modern programmers than FORTRAN. The key to a having easily updatable science and mathematics software lies in within those factors. Plus, C can do so much more.
FORTRAN has some nice elements, but they only carry it so far.
Yeah, and then 5 cents becomes 10, and 10 becomes 15; pretty soon the government and isps worldwide are charging on all sorts of digital communication...
Hmm, we have been receiving junk mail sponsored by the federal government for years in our physical mailboxes. What's going to change with e-mail? Perhaps once everyone realizes how much the system is not doing to ameliorate the problem, the people will acutally do something about it. Until then, intelligent filters will only be used by intelligent people, or at least those who care.
I couldn't agree more.
Nuclear power has been held back by the environmentalist movement due to ignorance and fear. Nuclear power is a viable solution to our energy problem, however, as nuclear energy:
[1] Has enormous energy output, far more than solar, wind and much more per ounce for natural gas/oil/coal-based plants. For all practical purposes, solar and wind-based energy are not effective for producing the energy we need for the population.
[2] Would stop the "clean coal" (an oxymoron) movement; over half of America's energy is coal-based, and coal produces vastly more waste per ounce of fuel than nuclear, some of which contains horrendous toxins such as arsenic, which leak into the water supply daily at the various mines. Keep in mind that every day we use coal to generate our power, we are doing more damage to our environment that nuclear ever would through mining and transportation scarring the landscape, disturbing ecosystems, etc.
[3] Has waste that is more compact and managable than oil, gas, and coal. It can be glassified and stored in corrosion-resistant containers, of which will be endangered only by subduction (a problem solved). This is well-illustrated by the Yucca Mt. repository.
[4] Is more sustainable than any other current solution, as fast-breeder reactors produce more usable fuel than they consume, and can run effectively for thousands of years.
Solar energy is promising, as well as some other energy alternatives. They need more time (fuel cells/effective solar are 50 yrs. down the road), however, before they become viable solutions.
If you are refering to an anti-virus program that spreads across the internet (not installed by the end-user) you are just inviting yourself to more attacks using the same methodology that implemented the anti-virus program.
Also, those who have been ravaged by a virus may not understand how the recieved it in the first place. Ask yourself a ?: Do you truly understand the workings of M$ ISS to have understood that it was vulnerable to CodeRed? I suspect not.
The more untested, automated update/patch (especially hidden) services become implemented, the more vulnerable you are making a system.
Virii are here to stay - Windows is known for it's horrible security problems (mostly because a good amount of virus and exploit code is written to target windows machines and services), however, keep it mind that many users running windows (the vast majority) don't understand how they became infected in the first place. Is that reason to throw them in jail if the only person they hurt was themself or their business? I might agree with you if this were applied to software vendors that claimed "security" derived from their applications, but even then - are they not subject to exploits that they could never have foreseen? Should they be held accountable for that, or is it not enough to lose one's reputation (and sales).