Sounds like that Macrovision TOC trick they tried a while back, otherwise I don't see how the physical tracks can be encrypted and still work on legacy CD players. If it's the Macrovision TOC thing, there are plenty of workarounds out there.
A consultant hired for preliminary recommendations is saying that we should run Windows XP on the thin client boxes, not even the embedded version but the full one.
Your consultant is an idiot, fire him. Besides that, you have to decide if you're going to seriously persue a thin client strategy or not. If you're doing this for cost savings and don't want to move to Linux on the client side, look into VNC or TightVNC. However, this is a not a real thin client and to be honest I wouldn't do it becuase it's probably going to fail.
If this was my shop and we were serious about saving money, I'd go with Linux or BSD on the existing client side hardware and run an X server based thin client. If your hardware is a fairly standard configuration, you could even go with a diskless setup and remove all admin needs on the client side. The windows application server could be implemented using VNC running on W2K -or- Win4Lin terminal server on Linux -or- Crossover Office Server on Linux. This won't allow your CAD user to migrate however, unless a Linux flavor of their software exists, they're stuck on Win.
Back to your consultant, the key to saving money with thin clients is to reduce costs on the client side. Springing for XP and hardware upgrades on the client is 180 degrees from your stated goals. My guess is he's merely reciting his MCSE crap to ensure he can come back for future billable work.
There's no rollback because there's no concept of a transaction and they even go so far as to try to justify not having transactions. What if a transaction depends on 3 objects getting serialized or none at all, guess you're out of luck. Label this project for what it is, a small non-transactional in-memory db like hsqldb but with less features. The very premise that this could replace a relational database is just a cheap laugh for anybody who has worked with or programmed for an enterprise class database.
My top 3 reasons "why not" are rebooting, multitasking, and saving games. This Live CD thing keeps coming up over and over again and I maintain that is will not come around again (remember DOS based games from the early 90s) because it's a hassle for both the user and the publisher. I'm a Linux user and I'd love to see more Linux games but looking to Live CDs for salvation is a flawed solution. If we want to see wide spread availability of Linux / Mac / Win games them we need a full featured cross platform game development environment.
Getting developers to stop using DX in favor of option B is not impossible but option B has to provide them with something better, that leverages their existing skill set, at the same or lower cost. The closest thing we currently have to an option B is SDL but that only contains a small subset of the features of DX. Another possibility is that we'll eventually see a full fledged Java gaming API based on the success of the J2ME gaming API but that's still in the realm of speculation at this point. I've heard rumors of the PS3 having a Java gaming engine, which would really give a boost to cross platform gaming, but I wouldn't bet a nickle on it, maybe a penny.
It's difficult to put together a response without knowing the specific patents in question but it wouldn't surprise me. However, that doesn't mean that such patents are necessarily defensible either. The work on vorbis started sometime in 1999 and culminated in a release in early 2000 so there's a strong prior art defense for those. As for patents filed prior to 1999, well, that's a mine field. I searched around for any references to Vorbis violating patents but came up with nothing. You should encourage your friends to post the patents (which I'm assuming are US issued) in question so that Xiph is at least aware of any potential problems.
You're thinking in terms of music only. The MP3 patent (#5,579,430) only expires on Jan 26, 2015. So if you're a software/game maker with slim margins to start with, you'd want a format that's not patent encumbered or that cost less. Sure a $1 royalty fee for each decoder doesn't seem like much until you ship 500k units and have to cut that check to Fraunhofer. If the quality is comparable and a lower/no cost option is available, you'd have a pretty strong case for not using MP3.
Insane as it is, McLaren F1s go for a over $1M at auction, $680,000 ain't gonna cut it. However, you can get a not too shabby Saleen S7 that easily does over 200MPH (top speed not listed) for that kinda dough!
Microsoft has no brainwashing ability. Every individual can make his own choices.
There's an adage that I'm sure you've heard that says, "Tell a lie often enough and eventually it is accepted as the truth". I'm not suggesting that Microsoft is necessarily lying, but the fact remains that if you keep pummeling a message into people's head, they eventually accept it as being a fact. It's called persuasion, it's a part of how the human mind works, and Microsoft are very very good at it. You can read the gory details here. Note that brainwashing is the most extreme form of persuasion and is rarely ever seen in practice.
Here's an article that gives a little more detail. Apparently during the conference, a demo was presented in with BG present using Linux and Netscape as the client. It doesn't explain how the gist went from "not running of stage fuming" to "embracing" but at least it explains why Netscape and Linux are in that headline.
The trouble is that it would also lend credibility to Linux and MS does not want that. No, the weak spot in Linux that I could see MS going after is not the kernel but the whole GUI supersystem. They could spawn off a Microsoft GUI for Linux and still own 95% of the code people care about. MS will have to co-exist with Linux on the server side, it's too late for them to change that, but they can cement OSS desktops out of the market by usurping the Linux desktop market. The chance of this happening without Linux gaining some significant desktop share first is very slim.
That article opens with a quip about Gates embracing Linux, Netscape and royalty-free software but the article only states that they'll help develop a royalty free "Web services standard". Wow, big deal. Where's all the "loving" the headline promises???
Agreed, most people don't want to reboot to play a game, myself included. The only viable solution is a cross platform gaming API that caters to DirectX developers. I've read of hints of a possible Java gaming API from Sun, beyond the J2ME one, but the obstacles to overcome in creating a cross platform toolkit are significant. One thing's for sure, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for MS to port DX to Linux and Mac.
Now, I'm a 100% Linux user but I understand if companies choose not to port to my platform, I simply don't buy those games even if I really want them, see C&C Generals. However, when a company does port to my platform, I ALWAYS buy a copy, even if I think the game is boring, UT2003 anyone? If Linux users want more Linux games, we need to speak with our hearts and wallets.
You're right, IBM should have maintained it's monopoly on the PC. That way we could all be enjoying your $15,000 Pentium 2 equivalents with 32M of memory running OS/2. Monopoly bad, competition good.
It's just another example that web services aren't really free
Then how do you explain that email is still free? The problem with the current IM model is that it's not decentralized. It relies on a central server (ignoring load balancing) and that choke point is why these IM services see a way to "charge" for access. This move towards network isolation is only the start. Once 3rd parties are fully barred from these networks, you should expect to see attempts at instituting subscription fees. It'll probably be snuck in as a meter where you can send 50 messages a day for free and then have to subscribe above that. Are you willing to pay a monthly fee for AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger access?
Anyhow, the point is that over the long term, open and free always wins out over closed and for fee. This means IM will likely eventually move to a host to host IM model like Jabber. Your ISP will host an IM gateway that you'll use to communicate with users on other IM gateways. Another possibility is a P2P model using the supernode concept but this would be hard to work around firewalls.
For now I wouldn't bother sweating this too hard since things will almost certainly be status quo until the big 3 actually start charging for access to their IM networks. Without a significant inconvenience, people won't have an impetus to change.
It's hard enough to read a webpage on a phone, I can't imagine reading a book 18 words at a time (my phone has a 6 line screen). Also, my phone only has ~1M of memory so you wouldn't get much an e-book on there, maybe an e-CliffsNotes though!
Wow, I didn't know that! Kudos to the Abiword crew for making desktop bindings an optional choice. I wish more projects would provide a choice like that.
It's more confusing on Linux because there isn't just one like on Win / Mac. Well, that's not 100% true since you could code directly to X11 but you'd be a hell of a sucker for punishment if you did that.
Your best bet for a GUI toolkit will vary depending on which language you want to use to program but I'd recommend looking into wxWindows if you want a toolkit that's MFC-like. There a bunch of other good choices, most notably QT and GTK based toolkits but those would require a more significant departure from what you'd be familiar with.
Outside the GUI, there are some differences with regards to system calls but if you're familiar with Posix (exists on Win too) you can get up to speed pretty quick there.
Documentation is sketchy and I strongly recommend spending $40 on a Linux programming reference book. You'll save a lot of frustration and time scouring the web. One key concept to remember is that on Linux almost everything is treated as a file, including devices. As a programmer, you'll find it frustrating for a good 6-12 months, especially since you already have a background in another environment. Believe me that it does "make sense" after a while but it takes some time (and frustration) to get to that point.
As for KDE and Abiword, you'll need to have GNOME installed (though not running) to use Abiword. This is the source of a lot of bad blood so I'll leave it at that.
I'm going to get flammed for this but I don't see the fascination with PDAs. My net enabled mobile phone allows me to do anything I really NEED (emphasis) a PDA for, namely news, email, alarms, notes, contacts, and games. Granted typing on a numeric keypad is about as fun as a kick in the teeth but my battery lasts 48 hours between recharges and I can use it as a phone too. Lots of folks love their PDAs, good for them, and even though I do get a "wow" impulse about PDAs every now and then, I still stick with my net enabled mobile phone.
To clarify, I have a Nextel phone that lets me sync data between my PC and my phone over the wireless net and don't know if other providers offer the same services. Without this sync feature, my opinion would be different (see crack on typing via numeric keypads).
I hate to break it to you but if Sun had imposed runtime license fees on Java, it would have died a quick death from the start. Sun does make money from Java and it's primarily from certifications to use various Java labels like "J2EE" and "Pure Java". They also make money on books and J2ME runtime licenses.
When you support 10,000 servers and 30,000 desktops
There's no way to support this many machines alone. It's simply an impossible workload. As for making the lives of SKs easier, yep, it'll help em target machines, no doubt about it. There's a positive though, at least this tool is public and we're all aware of it now. It's the tools I don't know about that worry me.
Slashdot Mirror
Sounds like that Macrovision TOC trick they tried a while back, otherwise I don't see how the physical tracks can be encrypted and still work on legacy CD players. If it's the Macrovision TOC thing, there are plenty of workarounds out there.
A consultant hired for preliminary recommendations is saying that we should run Windows XP on the thin client boxes, not even the embedded version but the full one.
Your consultant is an idiot, fire him. Besides that, you have to decide if you're going to seriously persue a thin client strategy or not. If you're doing this for cost savings and don't want to move to Linux on the client side, look into VNC or TightVNC. However, this is a not a real thin client and to be honest I wouldn't do it becuase it's probably going to fail.
If this was my shop and we were serious about saving money, I'd go with Linux or BSD on the existing client side hardware and run an X server based thin client. If your hardware is a fairly standard configuration, you could even go with a diskless setup and remove all admin needs on the client side. The windows application server could be implemented using VNC running on W2K -or- Win4Lin terminal server on Linux -or- Crossover Office Server on Linux. This won't allow your CAD user to migrate however, unless a Linux flavor of their software exists, they're stuck on Win.
Back to your consultant, the key to saving money with thin clients is to reduce costs on the client side. Springing for XP and hardware upgrades on the client is 180 degrees from your stated goals. My guess is he's merely reciting his MCSE crap to ensure he can come back for future billable work.
There's no rollback because there's no concept of a transaction and they even go so far as to try to justify not having transactions. What if a transaction depends on 3 objects getting serialized or none at all, guess you're out of luck. Label this project for what it is, a small non-transactional in-memory db like hsqldb but with less features. The very premise that this could replace a relational database is just a cheap laugh for anybody who has worked with or programmed for an enterprise class database.
My top 3 reasons "why not" are rebooting, multitasking, and saving games. This Live CD thing keeps coming up over and over again and I maintain that is will not come around again (remember DOS based games from the early 90s) because it's a hassle for both the user and the publisher. I'm a Linux user and I'd love to see more Linux games but looking to Live CDs for salvation is a flawed solution. If we want to see wide spread availability of Linux / Mac / Win games them we need a full featured cross platform game development environment.
Getting developers to stop using DX in favor of option B is not impossible but option B has to provide them with something better, that leverages their existing skill set, at the same or lower cost. The closest thing we currently have to an option B is SDL but that only contains a small subset of the features of DX. Another possibility is that we'll eventually see a full fledged Java gaming API based on the success of the J2ME gaming API but that's still in the realm of speculation at this point. I've heard rumors of the PS3 having a Java gaming engine, which would really give a boost to cross platform gaming, but I wouldn't bet a nickle on it, maybe a penny.
It's difficult to put together a response without knowing the specific patents in question but it wouldn't surprise me. However, that doesn't mean that such patents are necessarily defensible either. The work on vorbis started sometime in 1999 and culminated in a release in early 2000 so there's a strong prior art defense for those. As for patents filed prior to 1999, well, that's a mine field. I searched around for any references to Vorbis violating patents but came up with nothing. You should encourage your friends to post the patents (which I'm assuming are US issued) in question so that Xiph is at least aware of any potential problems.
You're thinking in terms of music only. The MP3 patent (#5,579,430) only expires on Jan 26, 2015. So if you're a software/game maker with slim margins to start with, you'd want a format that's not patent encumbered or that cost less. Sure a $1 royalty fee for each decoder doesn't seem like much until you ship 500k units and have to cut that check to Fraunhofer. If the quality is comparable and a lower/no cost option is available, you'd have a pretty strong case for not using MP3.
Insane as it is, McLaren F1s go for a over $1M at auction, $680,000 ain't gonna cut it. However, you can get a not too shabby Saleen S7 that easily does over 200MPH (top speed not listed) for that kinda dough!
... also note my bad grammer, add "s"es and change "is" to "are" where appropriate.
Microsoft has no brainwashing ability. Every individual can make his own choices.
There's an adage that I'm sure you've heard that says, "Tell a lie often enough and eventually it is accepted as the truth". I'm not suggesting that Microsoft is necessarily lying, but the fact remains that if you keep pummeling a message into people's head, they eventually accept it as being a fact. It's called persuasion, it's a part of how the human mind works, and Microsoft are very very good at it. You can read the gory details here. Note that brainwashing is the most extreme form of persuasion and is rarely ever seen in practice.
Any idea which flavor of Unix they were running? I'd imagine it's a vertical specific flavor, not an HP-UX, Solaris, or AIX variant.
Here's an article that gives a little more detail. Apparently during the conference, a demo was presented in with BG present using Linux and Netscape as the client. It doesn't explain how the gist went from "not running of stage fuming" to "embracing" but at least it explains why Netscape and Linux are in that headline.
Ummm, no, my logic is based on the XML spec, here read up. To summarize the important bits:
... provide a means for defining the structure, content and semantics of XML documents.
XML Schemas
The trouble is that it would also lend credibility to Linux and MS does not want that. No, the weak spot in Linux that I could see MS going after is not the kernel but the whole GUI supersystem. They could spawn off a Microsoft GUI for Linux and still own 95% of the code people care about. MS will have to co-exist with Linux on the server side, it's too late for them to change that, but they can cement OSS desktops out of the market by usurping the Linux desktop market. The chance of this happening without Linux gaining some significant desktop share first is very slim.
The namespace schemas are proprietary and redistribution is not permitted. No namespace schema, no way to make sense of what's in the XML.
That article opens with a quip about Gates embracing Linux, Netscape and royalty-free software but the article only states that they'll help develop a royalty free "Web services standard". Wow, big deal. Where's all the "loving" the headline promises???
Agreed, most people don't want to reboot to play a game, myself included. The only viable solution is a cross platform gaming API that caters to DirectX developers. I've read of hints of a possible Java gaming API from Sun, beyond the J2ME one, but the obstacles to overcome in creating a cross platform toolkit are significant. One thing's for sure, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for MS to port DX to Linux and Mac.
Now, I'm a 100% Linux user but I understand if companies choose not to port to my platform, I simply don't buy those games even if I really want them, see C&C Generals. However, when a company does port to my platform, I ALWAYS buy a copy, even if I think the game is boring, UT2003 anyone? If Linux users want more Linux games, we need to speak with our hearts and wallets.
You're right, IBM should have maintained it's monopoly on the PC. That way we could all be enjoying your $15,000 Pentium 2 equivalents with 32M of memory running OS/2. Monopoly bad, competition good.
It's just another example that web services aren't really free
Then how do you explain that email is still free? The problem with the current IM model is that it's not decentralized. It relies on a central server (ignoring load balancing) and that choke point is why these IM services see a way to "charge" for access. This move towards network isolation is only the start. Once 3rd parties are fully barred from these networks, you should expect to see attempts at instituting subscription fees. It'll probably be snuck in as a meter where you can send 50 messages a day for free and then have to subscribe above that. Are you willing to pay a monthly fee for AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger access?
Anyhow, the point is that over the long term, open and free always wins out over closed and for fee. This means IM will likely eventually move to a host to host IM model like Jabber. Your ISP will host an IM gateway that you'll use to communicate with users on other IM gateways. Another possibility is a P2P model using the supernode concept but this would be hard to work around firewalls.
For now I wouldn't bother sweating this too hard since things will almost certainly be status quo until the big 3 actually start charging for access to their IM networks. Without a significant inconvenience, people won't have an impetus to change.
It's hard enough to read a webpage on a phone, I can't imagine reading a book 18 words at a time (my phone has a 6 line screen). Also, my phone only has ~1M of memory so you wouldn't get much an e-book on there, maybe an e-CliffsNotes though!
Wow, I didn't know that! Kudos to the Abiword crew for making desktop bindings an optional choice. I wish more projects would provide a choice like that.
It's more confusing on Linux because there isn't just one like on Win / Mac. Well, that's not 100% true since you could code directly to X11 but you'd be a hell of a sucker for punishment if you did that.
Your best bet for a GUI toolkit will vary depending on which language you want to use to program but I'd recommend looking into wxWindows if you want a toolkit that's MFC-like. There a bunch of other good choices, most notably QT and GTK based toolkits but those would require a more significant departure from what you'd be familiar with.
Outside the GUI, there are some differences with regards to system calls but if you're familiar with Posix (exists on Win too) you can get up to speed pretty quick there.
Documentation is sketchy and I strongly recommend spending $40 on a Linux programming reference book. You'll save a lot of frustration and time scouring the web. One key concept to remember is that on Linux almost everything is treated as a file, including devices. As a programmer, you'll find it frustrating for a good 6-12 months, especially since you already have a background in another environment. Believe me that it does "make sense" after a while but it takes some time (and frustration) to get to that point.
As for KDE and Abiword, you'll need to have GNOME installed (though not running) to use Abiword. This is the source of a lot of bad blood so I'll leave it at that.
I'm going to get flammed for this but I don't see the fascination with PDAs. My net enabled mobile phone allows me to do anything I really NEED (emphasis) a PDA for, namely news, email, alarms, notes, contacts, and games. Granted typing on a numeric keypad is about as fun as a kick in the teeth but my battery lasts 48 hours between recharges and I can use it as a phone too. Lots of folks love their PDAs, good for them, and even though I do get a "wow" impulse about PDAs every now and then, I still stick with my net enabled mobile phone.
To clarify, I have a Nextel phone that lets me sync data between my PC and my phone over the wireless net and don't know if other providers offer the same services. Without this sync feature, my opinion would be different (see crack on typing via numeric keypads).
I hate to break it to you but if Sun had imposed runtime license fees on Java, it would have died a quick death from the start. Sun does make money from Java and it's primarily from certifications to use various Java labels like "J2EE" and "Pure Java". They also make money on books and J2ME runtime licenses.
When you support 10,000 servers and 30,000 desktops
There's no way to support this many machines alone. It's simply an impossible workload. As for making the lives of SKs easier, yep, it'll help em target machines, no doubt about it. There's a positive though, at least this tool is public and we're all aware of it now. It's the tools I don't know about that worry me.
Templates are in Java 1.5 (see generics) so this argument is moot.