The solution to the internet problems is to trash ICANN and hand over all power to a global force, something alike the UN. And then regulate its use with a fist of iron. A logical first move would be to cut of major sources of misuse, the USA, Russia and China for starters. Once they have their shit together, they may apply to rejoin. Maybe then the politicians would start to take the internet seriously.
I, uh... I don't even know where to begin with this. Forget it, I'll let someone else smack you upside the head with a cluebat. I need to fix some dinner.
I can only assume the US suffers from the same problem
You have no idea. The military-industrial complex in the United States is second to none it its unrivaled ability to generate cost overruns and squander funds. Really, there's nothing like it anywhere on the planet.
I have no idea what's wrong with television news today. All I know is, I stopped watching it about twenty years ago because of what was wrong with it then.
What? My original post made it pellucidly clear that I'm an American, so referring in context to foreigners implicitly means those who are not American, just as an Englishman who refers to foreigners is indicating persons who do not belong to his particular subset of the human population. Are you doing a Ted Turner on me, objecting to the root word "foreign"? Here's how Turner would have put it: "As an American, I tend to get irritated at all the internationals here on Slashdot." Would that have made you feel better? Spare me. I meant exactly what I said.
I have my share of faults but I do not number political correctness among them. Furthermore, I refuse to be intimidated into not using common words because someone else's perceptions are faulty. If you are not American, to me you're a foreigner, just as I am a foreigner to you. This is not complicated nor intrinsically offensive.
If you're concerned about all the cyberdamage being done around the world, the real truth is that you'd be far better off disconnecting from China, Russia and the United States.
For all you people that want to pick on Nigeria, not everyone that comes from there is a scammer or a crook. As it happens, my girlfriend is from there (emigrated to the U.S. about 25 years ago) and is a remarkable individual. I consider myself lucky to have her. As an American, I tend to get irritated at all the foreigners here on Slashdot that like to make uninformed generalizations about the United States and its people. Anyone who's ever read any of my posts along those lines knows that. Conversely, I figure it's only fair not to paint everyone in a given country with the same brush, even if they do it to us with monotonous regularity.
That said, I wouldn't advise answering any Nigerian emails that show up in your inbox.
would you want to be the one to go to court to defend hosting providers' rights to protect kiddy porn collectors?
It's the same old story. People want their rights upheld at all costs, because they (of course) are fine, upstanding, moral citizens, anybody can see that, right? Any one they don't agree with: well hell, have the technicians report them when they find "x" on their computers. The problem is, you can't selectively erode privacy rights. Once you've broken down the barriers, made an exception for a particular activity (because, you know, it's just so evil and all) the next time around you may find that someone else has decided that you are the evil one. Either we're all protected to the full extent of the law... or none of us are. You may not like that, but that's way it is. Worse yet, the way our government is currently headed, criminalizing more and more trivial activities, odds are that you will get nailed one of these days by something that was completely innocuous in times past.
No kidding... as an American myself I have to say it's ridiculous. I'm sure it has to do with economies of scale: the greater the quantities they buy, the lower the unit price, and the greater their profits. Or maybe we just want to be fat, and they're only giving us what we want. Maybe both, I don't know.
Does make it hard to keep trim though, if you eat out much.
Depends upon your definition: in mind this application does qualify as mission critical. In this case, it means you only get one shot and everything is riding on it.
So don't dismiss this is just a fireworks show. Sure, the Space Shuttle isn't going to come tumbling down if the system fails... but millions of dollars will be lost. These shows are expensive. I'm just surprised they didn't invest in a more robust controller, that's all. People that design these systems need to learn one simple lesson: the computer is not your friend, and neither is the compiler. Take steps to make sure unforeseen occurrences don't shut you down.
Windows is not a predictable OS. Yes, NT-derived versions are a whole lot better than Windows 98, but nevertheless they have their problems in situations where you can't tolerate a malfunction. The best approach, in my opinion, would be a reliable embedded system to run the show, with perhaps a Windows or Mac system as the front end. That way you can have you GUI, but something a tad more solid than a desktop OS will be in charge of actually lighting off your fireworks. And use more than one with a watchdog and automatic failover in case something does break.
If I were to venture a guess, I would say "people who have been doing exactly that, successfully, for a number of years."
So what? When it comes to the design and implementation of process control systems, the simple fact that something can be made to work has no bearing on whether it will continue to work! What matters is that the fundamental design is sound, and that the implementation was tested. Even then, things go wrong... but no matter how you look at it you're playing the odds. The difference is that, statistically, well-designed and tested systems fail less often.
Unlikely. Windows has been to blame for a number of large problems in IT, but I don't see any headlines about that, least of all in major US newspapers. In this case, my guess is the problem isn't even with Windows.
Very likely, because the reason that you don't hear much about major IT disasters (Windows or otherwise) is that the corporations (and government agencies) involved bury the information to avoid embarrassment or accountability. In the case of a fireworks show, it's hard to hide the fact that something went wrong.
Slashdot Mirror
The solution to the internet problems is to trash ICANN and hand over all power to a global force, something alike the UN. And then regulate its use with a fist of iron. A logical first move would be to cut of major sources of misuse, the USA, Russia and China for starters. Once they have their shit together, they may apply to rejoin. Maybe then the politicians would start to take the internet seriously.
... I don't even know where to begin with this. Forget it, I'll let someone else smack you upside the head with a cluebat. I need to fix some dinner.
I, uh
I can only assume the US suffers from the same problem
You have no idea. The military-industrial complex in the United States is second to none it its unrivaled ability to generate cost overruns and squander funds. Really, there's nothing like it anywhere on the planet.
Given that the complaint centers around Microsoft's proprietary format, it's not hard to suspect Microsoft of somehow being involved here.
I have no idea what's wrong with television news today. All I know is, I stopped watching it about twenty years ago because of what was wrong with it then.
Bordering on propaganda? I'd say that line got crossed years ago.
Now that's what I call a flame. Smokin'!
+5 Insightful for you buddy ... I guess ignorance really is bliss.
Yes, in the olden days they used to pump all the air out of the tubes and make radios out of them.
Well, I guess we need to focus on that room-temperature superconducting power cable.
"the public had no case"
Wow.
True, it's a nationality ... but that doesn't make one lick of difference to the average bigot.
What? My original post made it pellucidly clear that I'm an American, so referring in context to foreigners implicitly means those who are not American, just as an Englishman who refers to foreigners is indicating persons who do not belong to his particular subset of the human population. Are you doing a Ted Turner on me, objecting to the root word "foreign"? Here's how Turner would have put it: "As an American, I tend to get irritated at all the internationals here on Slashdot." Would that have made you feel better? Spare me. I meant exactly what I said.
I have my share of faults but I do not number political correctness among them. Furthermore, I refuse to be intimidated into not using common words because someone else's perceptions are faulty. If you are not American, to me you're a foreigner, just as I am a foreigner to you. This is not complicated nor intrinsically offensive.
In other words, their lips moved.
Hence my point that in such an application, you need something more fault-tolerant than a single computer.
If you're concerned about all the cyberdamage being done around the world, the real truth is that you'd be far better off disconnecting from China, Russia and the United States.
For all you people that want to pick on Nigeria, not everyone that comes from there is a scammer or a crook. As it happens, my girlfriend is from there (emigrated to the U.S. about 25 years ago) and is a remarkable individual. I consider myself lucky to have her. As an American, I tend to get irritated at all the foreigners here on Slashdot that like to make uninformed generalizations about the United States and its people. Anyone who's ever read any of my posts along those lines knows that. Conversely, I figure it's only fair not to paint everyone in a given country with the same brush, even if they do it to us with monotonous regularity.
That said, I wouldn't advise answering any Nigerian emails that show up in your inbox.
would you want to be the one to go to court to defend hosting providers' rights to protect kiddy porn collectors?
... or none of us are. You may not like that, but that's way it is. Worse yet, the way our government is currently headed, criminalizing more and more trivial activities, odds are that you will get nailed one of these days by something that was completely innocuous in times past.
It's the same old story. People want their rights upheld at all costs, because they (of course) are fine, upstanding, moral citizens, anybody can see that, right? Any one they don't agree with: well hell, have the technicians report them when they find "x" on their computers. The problem is, you can't selectively erode privacy rights. Once you've broken down the barriers, made an exception for a particular activity (because, you know, it's just so evil and all) the next time around you may find that someone else has decided that you are the evil one. Either we're all protected to the full extent of the law
Dude, grow a sense of humor. You'll live longer.
My 2008 prediction - /. standards get even worse.
Given that it's now 2008, I'd say you already got that one right.
you probably need a level of team discipline and management that can only be established with regular paychecks to incentivize everyone involved.
Yeah well, and a few stock options wouldn't hurt either.
Everyone knows an engineer can't write a ledgible manual.
Apparently, you are one. An engineer, I mean.
... the bank angle.
The bank angle, of course, being the problem so many airlines are in financial trouble nowadays.
No kidding ... as an American myself I have to say it's ridiculous. I'm sure it has to do with economies of scale: the greater the quantities they buy, the lower the unit price, and the greater their profits. Or maybe we just want to be fat, and they're only giving us what we want. Maybe both, I don't know.
Does make it hard to keep trim though, if you eat out much.
Depends upon your definition: in mind this application does qualify as mission critical. In this case, it means you only get one shot and everything is riding on it.
... but millions of dollars will be lost. These shows are expensive. I'm just surprised they didn't invest in a more robust controller, that's all. People that design these systems need to learn one simple lesson: the computer is not your friend, and neither is the compiler. Take steps to make sure unforeseen occurrences don't shut you down.
So don't dismiss this is just a fireworks show. Sure, the Space Shuttle isn't going to come tumbling down if the system fails
Windows is not a predictable OS. Yes, NT-derived versions are a whole lot better than Windows 98, but nevertheless they have their problems in situations where you can't tolerate a malfunction. The best approach, in my opinion, would be a reliable embedded system to run the show, with perhaps a Windows or Mac system as the front end. That way you can have you GUI, but something a tad more solid than a desktop OS will be in charge of actually lighting off your fireworks. And use more than one with a watchdog and automatic failover in case something does break.
If I were to venture a guess, I would say "people who have been doing exactly that, successfully, for a number of years."
... but no matter how you look at it you're playing the odds. The difference is that, statistically, well-designed and tested systems fail less often.
So what? When it comes to the design and implementation of process control systems, the simple fact that something can be made to work has no bearing on whether it will continue to work! What matters is that the fundamental design is sound, and that the implementation was tested. Even then, things go wrong
Unlikely. Windows has been to blame for a number of large problems in IT, but I don't see any headlines about that, least of all in major US newspapers. In this case, my guess is the problem isn't even with Windows.
Very likely, because the reason that you don't hear much about major IT disasters (Windows or otherwise) is that the corporations (and government agencies) involved bury the information to avoid embarrassment or accountability. In the case of a fireworks show, it's hard to hide the fact that something went wrong.
No, no, you need to update that for the Google generation:
... try and take over the world!"
"What are we resolving to do this year, Brin?"
"Same thing we always do, Larry