A good example of this is the emac, which is a great computer but is overkill for the tasks of checking email and cruising the 'net, and too inflexible to do things like operate with external music devices (ie MOTU).
What are you talking about? With USB and FireWire most of MOTU's "external music devices" work just fine. I use a MOTU 828mkII with my PowerBook, and it works great with an eMac. Same with their USB MIDI interfaces.
The only things that don't work are the PCI-424 based interfaces and there's really not much reason to use those over the FireWire versions. If you're one of the few people who does really need a PCI interface you should be using a PowerMac anyway.
ADC was actually created by IBM. I don't think it was Apple telling the rest of the industry to go to hell, but just Apple trying to be user-friendly by combining power, USB, and Video into one cable.
Seemed like a good idea to me, but I also think it's a good idea make it easier for PCs to use Apple displays.
This is not the first stealth ship. The Navy has had a stealth hydrofoil/catamaran design for a while, I believe it's called the P960. They have sold a few to the Norwegians already.
The AirPort Express probably isn't limited to just iTunes, but it's easier to introduce it to the market that way.
From what I gather, the audio portion of this device is just a client that can play Apple Lossless audio that's advertised as a network service via Rendezvous.
Any app should be able to connect to it, including what's called a phantom audio driver (a driver with no corresponding hardware). The driver could send all audio from your Mac to the APExpress. Combined with something like Audio Hijack, and it could selectively send audio from just certain applications.
Other hacks I expect to see shortly after the release is an app that behaves like an APExpress and then multicasts the stream to multiple APExpresses around the house.
Hmm... maybe I should work on that one....
Jobs may be right that portable video may not be all that great, but that doesn't mean that Apple shouldn't come out with a video iPod just to throw at the media. If Sony's and Microsoft's devices get too much attention just because of the color screens, Apple has to counter.
I wonder about how Microsoft's offerings will affect their effort to make WMA the "standard" for portable audio? Maybe other portable makers will look to a real standard, not one controlled by a competitor. If MPEG finally adds a standard DRM to AAC, I think we could see AAC take off.
Re:Hardcore? Or dumb?
on
Hardcore Java
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Well... I didn't say they were smart ideas, but hardcore has never meant prudent to me.
Also, using assembly means you're just begging for a maintenance headache as well.
It's all in why you're doing what you're doing. For some stuff you might need to get hardcore (oooh, how extreme:)
When I was writing applets back in the 1.0 days I had to do some crazy hacks to get around Microsoft incompatibilities, or to implement double buffering or transparent widgets. Some of the hacks included changing Sun's source, recompiling and using bugs in the security manager of Netscape and IE to load new AWT base classes. Not very smart you might say, and certainly not very maintainable, but it worked, and when 1.1 came out I didn't need my hacks anymore.
Some of JDO's techniques wouldn't be possible if it weren't for binary class enhancers. The class file format is very well documents and can handle metadata for fields and methods. JDO adds metadata to the class that enables OR mappings, and lets you use managed object just like any other.
And, as a matter of fact, you can count on the format of the class file to be the same regardless of the compiler. It's a specified format.
A Quibble with your Quibble
on
Hardcore Java
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Hardcore Java might not be as h4r6c0r3 as assembly, but that doesn't mean that the title should be ignored or that there is simply no such thing as "hardcore" java.
Harcore Java to me means writing Class Loaders or Security Managers, bypassing encapsulation or field and method visibility with reflection, choosing the right garbage collector for high performance server-side applications, dissecting the binary class file format, creating post-compilation class "enhancers" like JDO uses, etc.
These are things that are beyond your typical Java novice, and I would expect some mention of some of these level of topics in any java book labeled "hardcore".
So far from ignoring the title, if this book is more for novices than experts, I'd say the title might be misleading. But if I ignore the first few sentences of your review I might find it less biased and more useful.
btreeReadNode(105): diff = 2048, this should *NEVER* have happened! initSpecialFile(202): failed to retrieve extents for the Catalog file. hfsdebug: failed to access the Catalog File.
I can't find any info about this on the site. Is anyone else getting this error?
If you search under "Maughan & Brown" the first link is a disciplinary page for accountants on a ca.gov website. Brown & Maughan, An Accountancy is listed with some infractions and action taken. I'm not sure it's the same Mark Maughan, but I wonder why he didn't sure the State of California as well.
I used to want Sun to open source Java, but they've actually been a pretty good steward and I quite like what they're doing with it. The Java Community Process seems to be working.
First of all Apple actually contributes to OSS projects even though they generally stay away from GPLed code and don't have to contribute their changes.
They've made many documented improvements to KHTML, gcc, the *BSDs, and others. They've also made the entire underlying operating system available as OSS.
Can you even come close to saying anything like that about Microsoft and SCO? Those two companies are the ones who testify in from of congress that OSS is unconstitutional and will destroy the US economy.
Apple also doesn't lock down their hardware, and it's totally possible to run other OSes on Macs. Their is one proprietary part that is required to run Mac OS, but if you don't want to run Mac OS it's not a problem.
Ever heard of OpenFirmware? It's an open standard that Apple, Sun and others use instead of the antiquated BIOSes found in PCs. What do MS and Intel want to replace the BIOS with? A locked down firmware that will implement DRM for media and software and possibly even OSes at the most basic hardware level. That's open?
Apple uses standard components and has opened up many of their hardware innovations like FireWire.
Are you saying that the US is a "trustworthy steward"? Maybe from the point of view of a Patriotic American, since it's a bit like trusting yourself.
Global instability over the past, oh... how about all of recorded history, has been about power struggles (that usually have very little to do with oil). Imperialism, world wars, revolutions, slave revolts, coups, violent protests, terrorism - all these examples of instability are caused by struggles for power (freedom being a power). Oil may seem like the cause of recent problems, but really it's just a weapon in the war. We fight for oil because without it we couldn't fight for power.
And what western democracies are the oil fields in the hands of? Iraq certainly doesn't constitute "those oil fields", and after we're out of there we may very well see Iraq run by a government unfriendly to the US. What other western democracy is over there? Not Kuwait. Calling them a democracy is a joke.
OPEC is probably doing the world a favor by controlling the oil production. If we pumped the oil out as fast as possible to reduce prices we'd only exagerate the problems of polution and a limited supply of oil.
It is good to see Africa (of all nations!) investigate cheap and clean power since they need it so very badly, but I worry about how the waste will be handled. The environmental and saftey issues of nuclear energy has caused us to spend millions and possibly billions on researching and implementing advanced waste disposal. Will cash strapped nations in Africa be as diligent?
How about a microbe than can split water into hydrogen and oxygen?
Ok, there's a scary thought. Don't let that one go down the drain! Who needs Ice-9 when you have a microbe that can destroy all the water on the planet while making the atmosphere quite flammable?
Why not just commit on both close() and commit()? This way all apps support versioning, and an app that can make better use of the commit() call can be updated to use it.
Or if the OS was really smart, you could configure it to commit on save() or close() depending on the application.
Yeah, the spatial Finder is an Classic Mac OS concept, but why is he one of the only people who seems to see how to integrate the old spatial Finder with the new browser Finder?
I'm have a real hard time getting Finder windows to consitantly behave how I want them to. They always switch from simple mode to browser mode when I least expect it. It is progress though, and I think Apple has paid attention to John S.'s articles, just not enough attention. Panther is actually pretty close, but just misses the mark. Frustratingly close, you might say.
As for the filesystem and metadata, I can't stress how important John's ideas are. Again, they may not be originally his, and BeOS did it first, but John advocates it very well (if not with a little zealotry). I have to think that Apple is working on something completely new since they hired the BeOS filesystem guru. There's hope for 10.4 I guess.
But you will run into the same problem that our winner take all style democracy has. Sure we have majority rule, but we don't represent the minority well enough. The side with less traffice needs to get a chance to go through the intersection too. Sure, eventually the side with a red light might build up enough of a line to get a green, but how many hours might that take for a very uneven intersection?
Proportional representation is better in politics, and mabye in traffic too. Let the light stay green for a time proportional to that sides' traffic.
A system that gave a higher weight to car pools and buses would be interesting too.
Of course light timing is more complex than giving the higher traffic side more green. City traffic patterns are shaped through light timing.
I'm mostly a Mac guy myself, but I've been looking at various x86 boxen to work as a media hub for my living room because of the various form factors they're available in. (I particularly like the Asus DiGiMatrix).
But I wonder what OS or GUI I should run? Windows is out. Linux seems more than capable (though the lack of the Sorensen codec is a bummer) and I'm familiar with it from developing.
But here's my catch: I don't want a windowed GUI. I want an interface like TiVo. Something that can be controlled easily with a remote. The TiVo/iPod cascading menus design is perfect for this application.
Is there anything out there like this? I know it'll limit the applications I can run, since they'll most likely need to be built for this interface rather than X Windows, but all I need is MP3/AAC playback, Image viewing, and MPEG recording and viewing.
I'm quite ambivilant on the internet sales tax issue. I've worked with a number of mid-sized, non-chain retailers who are loosing a significant number of sales to the internet because of sales tax. A lot of times people will shop in the store and then buy online. They try to sell their customer service, physical presence, etc, but the bottom line is that even when they can compete with an online price they always get burned by sales tax.
The internet sales tax morotorium is likely to put quite a few small businesses under, and it's not because they can't compete fairly against the online retail business model, but because online store have a unfor advantage.
That being said, sales tax is regressive and should be eliminated. It puts a disproportionate burden on lower income families who spend a higher percentage of their income on taxable goods. Eleminating sales tax would obviously be the easiest way to deal with the complications of implementing a 50 state tax system.
Slashdot Mirror
What are you talking about? With USB and FireWire most of MOTU's "external music devices" work just fine. I use a MOTU 828mkII with my PowerBook, and it works great with an eMac. Same with their USB MIDI interfaces.
The only things that don't work are the PCI-424 based interfaces and there's really not much reason to use those over the FireWire versions. If you're one of the few people who does really need a PCI interface you should be using a PowerMac anyway.
Seemed like a good idea to me, but I also think it's a good idea make it easier for PCs to use Apple displays.
This is not the first stealth ship. The Navy has had a stealth hydrofoil/catamaran design for a while, I believe it's called the P960. They have sold a few to the Norwegians already.
The AirPort Express probably isn't limited to just iTunes, but it's easier to introduce it to the market that way. From what I gather, the audio portion of this device is just a client that can play Apple Lossless audio that's advertised as a network service via Rendezvous. Any app should be able to connect to it, including what's called a phantom audio driver (a driver with no corresponding hardware). The driver could send all audio from your Mac to the APExpress. Combined with something like Audio Hijack, and it could selectively send audio from just certain applications. Other hacks I expect to see shortly after the release is an app that behaves like an APExpress and then multicasts the stream to multiple APExpresses around the house. Hmm... maybe I should work on that one....
Jobs may be right that portable video may not be all that great, but that doesn't mean that Apple shouldn't come out with a video iPod just to throw at the media. If Sony's and Microsoft's devices get too much attention just because of the color screens, Apple has to counter.
I wonder about how Microsoft's offerings will affect their effort to make WMA the "standard" for portable audio? Maybe other portable makers will look to a real standard, not one controlled by a competitor. If MPEG finally adds a standard DRM to AAC, I think we could see AAC take off.
Well... I didn't say they were smart ideas, but hardcore has never meant prudent to me.
:)
Also, using assembly means you're just begging for a maintenance headache as well.
It's all in why you're doing what you're doing. For some stuff you might need to get hardcore (oooh, how extreme
When I was writing applets back in the 1.0 days I had to do some crazy hacks to get around Microsoft incompatibilities, or to implement double buffering or transparent widgets. Some of the hacks included changing Sun's source, recompiling and using bugs in the security manager of Netscape and IE to load new AWT base classes. Not very smart you might say, and certainly not very maintainable, but it worked, and when 1.1 came out I didn't need my hacks anymore.
Some of JDO's techniques wouldn't be possible if it weren't for binary class enhancers. The class file format is very well documents and can handle metadata for fields and methods. JDO adds metadata to the class that enables OR mappings, and lets you use managed object just like any other.
And, as a matter of fact, you can count on the format of the class file to be the same regardless of the compiler. It's a specified format.
Hardcore Java might not be as h4r6c0r3 as assembly, but that doesn't mean that the title should be ignored or that there is simply no such thing as "hardcore" java.
Harcore Java to me means writing Class Loaders or Security Managers, bypassing encapsulation or field and method visibility with reflection, choosing the right garbage collector for high performance server-side applications, dissecting the binary class file format, creating post-compilation class "enhancers" like JDO uses, etc.
These are things that are beyond your typical Java novice, and I would expect some mention of some of these level of topics in any java book labeled "hardcore".
So far from ignoring the title, if this book is more for novices than experts, I'd say the title might be misleading. But if I ignore the first few sentences of your review I might find it less biased and more useful.
I can't find any info about this on the site. Is anyone else getting this error?
Wow, the article just turned me on to the Summary Service. And I just used it to read a short and sweet summary of the article.
If you haven't played with it select a bunch of text (in a Cocoa app) and select Summary from the Services menu.
Very cool...
Here's the link
I sure hope his lawyers are expensive... so it hurts more when he looses.
I used to want Sun to open source Java, but they've actually been a pretty good steward and I quite like what they're doing with it. The Java Community Process seems to be working.
First of all Apple actually contributes to OSS projects even though they generally stay away from GPLed code and don't have to contribute their changes.
They've made many documented improvements to KHTML, gcc, the *BSDs, and others. They've also made the entire underlying operating system available as OSS.
Can you even come close to saying anything like that about Microsoft and SCO? Those two companies are the ones who testify in from of congress that OSS is unconstitutional and will destroy the US economy.
Apple also doesn't lock down their hardware, and it's totally possible to run other OSes on Macs. Their is one proprietary part that is required to run Mac OS, but if you don't want to run Mac OS it's not a problem.
Ever heard of OpenFirmware? It's an open standard that Apple, Sun and others use instead of the antiquated BIOSes found in PCs. What do MS and Intel want to replace the BIOS with? A locked down firmware that will implement DRM for media and software and possibly even OSes at the most basic hardware level. That's open?
Apple uses standard components and has opened up many of their hardware innovations like FireWire.
In other words: you're nuts.
Yes, yes, I know Africa is not a nation (see my last sentance). Did you happen to read the parent to my post?
Are you saying that the US is a "trustworthy steward"? Maybe from the point of view of a Patriotic American, since it's a bit like trusting yourself.
Global instability over the past, oh... how about all of recorded history, has been about power struggles (that usually have very little to do with oil). Imperialism, world wars, revolutions, slave revolts, coups, violent protests, terrorism - all these examples of instability are caused by struggles for power (freedom being a power). Oil may seem like the cause of recent problems, but really it's just a weapon in the war. We fight for oil because without it we couldn't fight for power.
And what western democracies are the oil fields in the hands of? Iraq certainly doesn't constitute "those oil fields", and after we're out of there we may very well see Iraq run by a government unfriendly to the US. What other western democracy is over there? Not Kuwait. Calling them a democracy is a joke.
OPEC is probably doing the world a favor by controlling the oil production. If we pumped the oil out as fast as possible to reduce prices we'd only exagerate the problems of polution and a limited supply of oil.
It is good to see Africa (of all nations!) investigate cheap and clean power since they need it so very badly, but I worry about how the waste will be handled. The environmental and saftey issues of nuclear energy has caused us to spend millions and possibly billions on researching and implementing advanced waste disposal. Will cash strapped nations in Africa be as diligent?
This was discussed a while ago on MacSlash. The author directly wrote in apparently.
Here's the link: Employer Grabs Netflix Fanatic Software From Creator
How about a microbe than can split water into hydrogen and oxygen?
Ok, there's a scary thought. Don't let that one go down the drain! Who needs Ice-9 when you have a microbe that can destroy all the water on the planet while making the atmosphere quite flammable?
Why not just commit on both close() and commit()? This way all apps support versioning, and an app that can make better use of the commit() call can be updated to use it.
Or if the OS was really smart, you could configure it to commit on save() or close() depending on the application.
Yeah, the spatial Finder is an Classic Mac OS concept, but why is he one of the only people who seems to see how to integrate the old spatial Finder with the new browser Finder?
I'm have a real hard time getting Finder windows to consitantly behave how I want them to. They always switch from simple mode to browser mode when I least expect it. It is progress though, and I think Apple has paid attention to John S.'s articles, just not enough attention. Panther is actually pretty close, but just misses the mark. Frustratingly close, you might say.
As for the filesystem and metadata, I can't stress how important John's ideas are. Again, they may not be originally his, and BeOS did it first, but John advocates it very well (if not with a little zealotry). I have to think that Apple is working on something completely new since they hired the BeOS filesystem guru. There's hope for 10.4 I guess.
Wow, I didn't expect that response... What'd you do, run an analysis on my posts to figure it out?
His ideas about the Finder and filesystem are pretty dead on. I wish Apple would bring him on board.
At the very least they could shamelessly steal his ideas. They're there for the taking.
Interesting idea.
But you will run into the same problem that our winner take all style democracy has. Sure we have majority rule, but we don't represent the minority well enough. The side with less traffice needs to get a chance to go through the intersection too. Sure, eventually the side with a red light might build up enough of a line to get a green, but how many hours might that take for a very uneven intersection?
Proportional representation is better in politics, and mabye in traffic too. Let the light stay green for a time proportional to that sides' traffic.
A system that gave a higher weight to car pools and buses would be interesting too.
Of course light timing is more complex than giving the higher traffic side more green. City traffic patterns are shaped through light timing.
I thought this was a feature...
Thanks!
MythTV looks sweet. Strange that I didn't fin it in my googleing...
I'm mostly a Mac guy myself, but I've been looking at various x86 boxen to work as a media hub for my living room because of the various form factors they're available in. (I particularly like the Asus DiGiMatrix).
But I wonder what OS or GUI I should run? Windows is out. Linux seems more than capable (though the lack of the Sorensen codec is a bummer) and I'm familiar with it from developing.
But here's my catch: I don't want a windowed GUI. I want an interface like TiVo. Something that can be controlled easily with a remote. The TiVo/iPod cascading menus design is perfect for this application.
Is there anything out there like this? I know it'll limit the applications I can run, since they'll most likely need to be built for this interface rather than X Windows, but all I need is MP3/AAC playback, Image viewing, and MPEG recording and viewing.
I'm quite ambivilant on the internet sales tax issue. I've worked with a number of mid-sized, non-chain retailers who are loosing a significant number of sales to the internet because of sales tax. A lot of times people will shop in the store and then buy online. They try to sell their customer service, physical presence, etc, but the bottom line is that even when they can compete with an online price they always get burned by sales tax. The internet sales tax morotorium is likely to put quite a few small businesses under, and it's not because they can't compete fairly against the online retail business model, but because online store have a unfor advantage. That being said, sales tax is regressive and should be eliminated. It puts a disproportionate burden on lower income families who spend a higher percentage of their income on taxable goods. Eleminating sales tax would obviously be the easiest way to deal with the complications of implementing a 50 state tax system.