The "cheap" folks who have their iBook, iPod and i??? with them? Sounds like they have to go to the coffee shop and use free WiFi as they've spent all their money on iCandy.
That any competent designer would have done a better job of designing humans (and everything else). Let's face it, we're not exactly perfect. Easy to kill, prone to illness (HIV, for example), etc. etc.
I guess those in favour of ID would say 'that's $deity$s way of testing us'. But would an 'intelligent designer' want to test the design?
The great thing about evolution is that, since it has no intelligence, it can make mistakes (hopefully to be fixed later).
Thanks - you said it very well. I wish I had mod points right now
Strangely enough, as I write this I am 'attempting' to sync some new CDs (purchased and ripped to my PC) to my original 20G iPod. I wish I hadn't even tried.
The latest version of iTunes just comes up with an error (-69 WTF?) after transferring a batch of 10 or more files. The latest Musicmatch doesn't even support the iPod anymore, even though it was the supplied player (please insert $$$ as well for the latest version of that). Even my trusty EphPod system is giving trouble, after I had to erase everything from the iPod and start again.
I believe the root problem is the cheap, trashy Firewire cable that comes with the iPod - as long as the device is fully charged it works better.
And, please, no one reply and say I should use a Mac - all of my work involves PC's, and a Mac for me would be just baggage. Also, of course, I don't remember the original WINDOWS iPod coming with a warning that you have to buy a mac.
As a British computer guy living in Guangzhou (Canton) in southern China, this isn't a very good deal...
1. The local supermarket sells PC's for around 4,500yuan that include monitor and a valid version of XP Home.
2. You can get a C3 based small form factor box (w/o monitor) from the same place for 1,500yuan which also comes with XP Home.
3. If you go to the local computer market (huge place, hundreds of shops) you can get a brand name (Chinese) PC with a 15" flat screen for about 4,500yuan (o/s included).
So why is this considered 'cheap'? Because in reality it's not.
I hate to say it, but your logic is completely wrong. Although OpenGL is an open standard, current cards all have vendor specific extensions for handling such things as multiple texture blending and vertex/pixel shaders. Also, the effort required to write an OpenGL driver is significantly greater than writing a DirectX driver.
The Windows driver for a DirectX card is not that complex - and there are several available reference sources (3Dlabs, ATI). The highly complex drivers out there at the moment are very heavily optimized for a given card - speed sells. But the central core of the driver is simple, with almost all work handled by one entry point that takes command batches.
I ought to know - I'm the guy that designed the Windows kernel interface to the driver back in '97, and it's basically unchanged to this day.
Thankfully, I do know which ones are ok etc. But it does demonstrate a severe problem with XP (may or may not be cured by SP2) in that driver installs are possible. And WITHOUT the 'signed driver' warning. I certainly hope that other spy ware doesn't start doing this.
I'm surprised that they don't mention this piece of s**t. But since I haven't yet seen a program that can remove the latest version, I'm not surprised. This insidious piece of work actually installs a device driver which continuously monitors its files and prevents deletes etc.
Even starting in so-called 'safe mode' won't stop it. You have to boot with a CD and erase it manually.
The people who wrote it are 3721. something, and a link to it even appears on the default Chinese search page. In theory it just allows for Chinese name searches, but in reality does much more.
You have been warned - please don't visit the site.
From someone living and working in GuangZhou (Canton), yes, Slashdot works here. So does the NYT, Wash. Post etc. The only main news site that seems to be blocked is the BBC (heaven knows why).
Sourceforge was blocked 2 years ago, but is fine now.
Actually, day to day changes are based on content, so a site blocked one hour might unblock the next hour. This happens a lot to Google news.
You obviously haven't heard of this special bell curve (as used at Microsoft). The principle is that if you have 4 guys, all working their butt off and meeting milestones etc., one of them HAS to be marked low. So even though they all are performing well, one will get shafted.
So your 'fire their best employees' might actually come true. The result in the workplace is a vicious 'every man for himself' attitude.
Yes - have to agree with you there. I'm living in China (but British) and it's a pain to see the links to BBC news when you know you can't follow them. Truthfully, there isn't a lot that you cannot read here. Even sourceforge was blocked at one point (OK now). Some of the rules used block stupid things, like the Zend PHP site. But overall it's not as bad as people make it out to be (CNN is available, contrary to what many say).
IMHO, the more annoying thing is Google's continual links to news sites that are 'subscription' only. I wish they had a preference where those were filtered out - I don't mind registering for a news site, but I'm not going to pay for one.
I use Firefox mainly for tabbed browsing. But the experience is not good because there is a major problem with the browser at my location.
Where I live, there is a problem with the local DNS. It often fails and you have to 'refresh' to get a page to load. But, guess what, you can't do that in Firefox!. If you follow a link and have set it to open in a new tab, when the DNS fails there is nothing in the address line!. So refresh doesn't work - you have to close the tab and try again. Aargh - this drives me nuts sometimes, so much that I often switch back to IE for certain things.
Oh, and I did try to get the source so I could add a retry count to the DNS code. No point, as the downloaded source does not build (on Windows). Missing source files, etc. So much for Open Source - there isn't much point in having the source if it doesn't build, is there?
Sorry - completely wrong. DrawPrimitive calls are batched at user level into a buffer containing drawing and state changes. This buffer is then flushed down to the hardware driver at appropriate times.
How do I know? I designed the interface between D3D and the NT kernel back in 1998, and it is still in use today, almost unchanged.
The significance of these operations (assuming they are not optimized out by the compiler) is that they allow a simple binary patch to alter the result. One could, for example, change the constant 1 in the multiply to 1.01. So, n * 1 could be n * x - not the same at all.
Thanks for that useful tip! Having now spent the last couple of minutes trying to stop the stupid thing from either going too small or too large (overshooting the original size), I am going to make sure I NEVER try that again.
I should think they would help out, given the significant amount of money they are making from OSS.
However, I suspect that people's attitude toward them might change when they read about Apple's attempt to prevent Real from putting songs 'not from iTunes' onto 'their' iPod. Funny, I thought I OWNED my iPod and could do with it what I want (including using EphPod for my music). Seems Apple is now thinking like some other companies we know well here on Slashdot - it's not your iPod, it's belongs to them.
Sorry for the off topic stuff, but hearing that Apple's next iPod update will try to prevent Real from accessing 'their' iPod makes my blood boil.
Sorry, wrong digit. The i960 is (and has always been) an embedded processor. I was designing stuff with them in the early 90s, and they are still used in some RAID controllers and the like.
NT was actually prototyped on the Intel i860 processor - I know as I used to work for MS and have seen some of the original dev kit (co-processor boards that plugged into another system). But once it was obvious that the i860 was not going to be the 'next great thing' from Intel, they switched to x86.
Although many people have (partly as a result of press coverage) changed to Mozilla/Firefox, not all of them read Slashdot or are technically knowledgable. At least with a problem in IE, many users will be patched automatically by the Windows Update process. That is not going to happen with Firefox. To me this is lack of automatic updates is much more serious than this individual problem.
Isn't this enough to invoke the submarine patent protection? By admitting that they did not enforce the patent when they knew there were infinging users, maybe their patent is not enforceable.
Seconded - my site host has recently replaced its java vm and is now incapable of running a 3rd party java security code generator I use. It worked before (IBM java VM) but now they inform me that they are no longer going to support Java on the server (running Linux).
Now I have to manually update my customer database (groan).
Given that Microsoft is against multiple versions of the OS, it seems likely that they will be compatable. After all, MS dropped W2K support for the Alpha.
Of course, there is an Itanium version of the OS, but I suspect that Intel had to pay a significant amount of money to MS for that.
Yes - it was. I am watching CCTV 9 here in China, and the coverage is intense (as I expected it to be). So far everything seems to be going well. The landing should be around 6AM tomorrow - not sure whether I will be awake though.
Slashdot Mirror
The "cheap" folks who have their iBook, iPod and i??? with them? Sounds like they have to go to the coffee shop and use free WiFi as they've spent all their money on iCandy.
That any competent designer would have done a better job of designing humans (and everything else). Let's face it, we're not exactly perfect. Easy to kill, prone to illness (HIV, for example), etc. etc.
I guess those in favour of ID would say 'that's $deity$s way of testing us'. But would an 'intelligent designer' want to test the design?
The great thing about evolution is that, since it has no intelligence, it can make mistakes (hopefully to be fixed later).
Thanks - you said it very well. I wish I had mod points right now
Strangely enough, as I write this I am 'attempting' to sync some new CDs (purchased and ripped to my PC) to my original 20G iPod. I wish I hadn't even tried.
The latest version of iTunes just comes up with an error (-69 WTF?) after transferring a batch of 10 or more files. The latest Musicmatch doesn't even support the iPod anymore, even though it was the supplied player (please insert $$$ as well for the latest version of that). Even my trusty EphPod system is giving trouble, after I had to erase everything from the iPod and start again.
I believe the root problem is the cheap, trashy Firewire cable that comes with the iPod - as long as the device is fully charged it works better.
And, please, no one reply and say I should use a Mac - all of my work involves PC's, and a Mac for me would be just baggage. Also, of course, I don't remember the original WINDOWS iPod coming with a warning that you have to buy a mac.
As a British computer guy living in Guangzhou (Canton) in southern China, this isn't a very good deal...
1. The local supermarket sells PC's for around 4,500yuan that include monitor and a valid version of XP Home.
2. You can get a C3 based small form factor box (w/o monitor) from the same place for 1,500yuan which also comes with XP Home.
3. If you go to the local computer market (huge place, hundreds of shops) you can get a brand name (Chinese) PC with a 15" flat screen for about 4,500yuan (o/s included).
So why is this considered 'cheap'? Because in reality it's not.
I hate to say it, but your logic is completely wrong. Although OpenGL is an open standard, current cards all have vendor specific extensions for handling such things as multiple texture blending and vertex/pixel shaders. Also, the effort required to write an OpenGL driver is significantly greater than writing a DirectX driver.
The Windows driver for a DirectX card is not that complex - and there are several available reference sources (3Dlabs, ATI). The highly complex drivers out there at the moment are very heavily optimized for a given card - speed sells. But the central core of the driver is simple, with almost all work handled by one entry point that takes command batches.
I ought to know - I'm the guy that designed the Windows kernel interface to the driver back in '97, and it's basically unchanged to this day.
Thankfully, I do know which ones are ok etc. But it does demonstrate a severe problem with XP (may or may not be cured by SP2) in that driver installs are possible. And WITHOUT the 'signed driver' warning. I certainly hope that other spy ware doesn't start doing this.
I'm surprised that they don't mention this piece of s**t. But since I haven't yet seen a program that can remove the latest version, I'm not surprised. This insidious piece of work actually installs a device driver which continuously monitors its files and prevents deletes etc.
Even starting in so-called 'safe mode' won't stop it. You have to boot with a CD and erase it manually.
The people who wrote it are 3721. something, and a link to it even appears on the default Chinese search page. In theory it just allows for Chinese name searches, but in reality does much more.
You have been warned - please don't visit the site.
From someone living and working in GuangZhou (Canton), yes, Slashdot works here. So does the NYT, Wash. Post etc. The only main news site that seems to be blocked is the BBC (heaven knows why).
Sourceforge was blocked 2 years ago, but is fine now.
Actually, day to day changes are based on content, so a site blocked one hour might unblock the next hour. This happens a lot to Google news.
You obviously haven't heard of this special bell curve (as used at Microsoft). The principle is that if you have 4 guys, all working their butt off and meeting milestones etc., one of them HAS to be marked low. So even though they all are performing well, one will get shafted.
So your 'fire their best employees' might actually come true. The result in the workplace is a vicious 'every man for himself' attitude.
Yes - have to agree with you there. I'm living in China (but British) and it's a pain to see the links to BBC news when you know you can't follow them. Truthfully, there isn't a lot that you cannot read here. Even sourceforge was blocked at one point (OK now). Some of the rules used block stupid things, like the Zend PHP site. But overall it's not as bad as people make it out to be (CNN is available, contrary to what many say).
IMHO, the more annoying thing is Google's continual links to news sites that are 'subscription' only. I wish they had a preference where those were filtered out - I don't mind registering for a news site, but I'm not going to pay for one.
Thanks - the default dialog boxes are a real pain if you often get DNS fails.
I use Firefox mainly for tabbed browsing. But the experience is not good because there is a major problem with the browser at my location.
Where I live, there is a problem with the local DNS. It often fails and you have to 'refresh' to get a page to load. But, guess what, you can't do that in Firefox!. If you follow a link and have set it to open in a new tab, when the DNS fails there is nothing in the address line!. So refresh doesn't work - you have to close the tab and try again. Aargh - this drives me nuts sometimes, so much that I often switch back to IE for certain things.
Oh, and I did try to get the source so I could add a retry count to the DNS code. No point, as the downloaded source does not build (on Windows). Missing source files, etc. So much for Open Source - there isn't much point in having the source if it doesn't build, is there?
Sorry - completely wrong. DrawPrimitive calls are batched at user level into a buffer containing drawing and state changes. This buffer is then flushed down to the hardware driver at appropriate times.
How do I know? I designed the interface between D3D and the NT kernel back in 1998, and it is still in use today, almost unchanged.
Throwing away mod points but...
The significance of these operations (assuming they are not optimized out by the compiler) is that they allow a simple binary patch to alter the result. One could, for example, change the constant 1 in the multiply to 1.01. So, n * 1 could be n * x - not the same at all.
Thanks for that useful tip! Having now spent the last couple of minutes trying to stop the stupid thing from either going too small or too large (overshooting the original size), I am going to make sure I NEVER try that again.
Reminder to self - go and see optician tomorrow.
I should think they would help out, given the significant amount of money they are making from OSS.
However, I suspect that people's attitude toward them might change when they read about Apple's attempt to prevent Real from putting songs 'not from iTunes' onto 'their' iPod. Funny, I thought I OWNED my iPod and could do with it what I want (including using EphPod for my music). Seems Apple is now thinking like some other companies we know well here on Slashdot - it's not your iPod, it's belongs to them.
Sorry for the off topic stuff, but hearing that Apple's next iPod update will try to prevent Real from accessing 'their' iPod makes my blood boil.
Sorry, wrong digit. The i960 is (and has always been) an embedded processor. I was designing stuff with them in the early 90s, and they are still used in some RAID controllers and the like.
NT was actually prototyped on the Intel i860 processor - I know as I used to work for MS and have seen some of the original dev kit (co-processor boards that plugged into another system). But once it was obvious that the i860 was not going to be the 'next great thing' from Intel, they switched to x86.
Although many people have (partly as a result of press coverage) changed to Mozilla/Firefox, not all of them read Slashdot or are technically knowledgable.
At least with a problem in IE, many users will be patched automatically by the Windows Update process. That is not going to happen with Firefox. To me this is lack of automatic updates is much more serious than this individual problem.
Note - I personally use Firefox and not IE.
Isn't this enough to invoke the submarine patent protection? By admitting that they did not enforce the patent when they knew there were infinging users, maybe their patent is not enforceable.
Very true. This happened to me recently and my spam count went from around 30 to over 400!
Thankfully, my host has a 'blackhole' option for the default account. Turned that on and the spam volume dropped back to the previous level.
Seconded - my site host has recently replaced its java vm and is now incapable of running a 3rd party java security code generator I use. It worked before (IBM java VM) but now they inform me that they are no longer going to support Java on the server (running Linux).
Now I have to manually update my customer database (groan).
Thanks for the link - great laugh.
Especially the six wheel ATV that had the on-off switch on the outside of the vehicle and turned itself off when it hit a wall!
Given that Microsoft is against multiple versions of the OS, it seems likely that they will be compatable. After all, MS dropped W2K support for the Alpha.
Of course, there is an Itanium version of the OS, but I suspect that Intel had to pay a significant amount of money to MS for that.
Yes - it was. I am watching CCTV 9 here in China, and the coverage is intense (as I expected it to be). So far everything seems to be going well. The landing should be around 6AM tomorrow - not sure whether I will be awake though.
...... have launched a towards ....
So now Slashdot wan'ts us to work out what the story is about? What's next - a totally blank story to comment on?