It seems pretty clear that Microsoft is bent on controlling every aspect of computing. This search engine technology marks their foothold in providing content (as does MSN). Yesterday's mention of AOL marks their foothold in providing access to content (as does MSN). They're also involved in everything from peripheral hardware to the BIOS to the operating system to the browser (and other web content software). Ok, this is all rather obvious.
Looking at this body of involvement I see two areas of growth. Microsoft will not content themselves until they are involved with the very core of the internet. They need their own backbone. As an ultra-slim MCI emerges from bankruptcy later this year, they'll be a very juicy target, especially considering they own UUNET.
As mentioned, Microsoft has a foothold in every part of the computer up to my very fingertips with their own keyboards. The other area of growth is my hands themselves. More and more peripherals will be coming with the secure computing initiative that will be used to securely identify the user. There are already biometric devices, ho hum. But, Microsoft has already started expressing interest in RFID technology. Your own embedded RFID will eventually be your user authentication method.
In conclusion (a very obvious one): This is the Computer Age. Microsoft aims to make themselves synonymous with the very word "computer" and they're doing a pretty darn good job. As everything in the world ends up with some computer in it (think RFIDs), Microsoft will gain global dominance and a strangehold on every industry. If this isn't a monopoly, I don't know what is.
Like Bill Maher said: "Voting with computers used to sound cool and futuristic, back in 1969. Today we know that computers are just big fuck-up machines."
Perhaps at first it will work with Linux, but it is obvious that "Trusted Computing" aims to do two things: eliminate software/media piracy, and eliminate competition against Microsoft. Period.
My friend visits Canada too, and tells me about it all the time. Of course, he only visits in order to have a good time.
A majority of the youth there drink heavily by the age of 16, in fact it seems socially ingrained. They don't have any notable icons of social pride other than a sport, hockey. An indifferent feeling, and in most cases hate, exists between the varying states (or whatever they are called in Canada), particularly toward the mostly French ones. I speak with Canadians concerning business matters at least twice a month, and even in casual discussions it is alarming how racist they are towards African Americans.
It is very easy easy to run a national healthcare system when you have a small economy, almost no military spending, and a tiny population.
Yea, Canada, a social icon of the first world. Note the scarcasm.
Realistically, gaming companies probably won't be writing many Linux games for a long time. Sure, there have been a few games here and there (Unreal Tournamemnt, Wolfenstien, Quake3), but they usually launched long after their Windows counterparts' releases. There is a good reason for this, considering Windows monopoly and an almost non-existant Linux gaming community.
I think the answer then lies within a solid emulator. I think gamining companies would support this as well. It would take them far less time and money to make sure their game was programmed to operate within Wine than to write a Linux port. Not to mention the pool of open source volunteers at their disposal.
It is EA's privilege to have you as its customer. It is Square/Enix's privilege to have you as a customer. Etc. It is not a privilege for you to play their game(s).
That is the fallacy of MMOGs. The companies that run the MMOGs treat their customers like it is a privilege to get to play their game. And sadly, the players/customers routinely take it in the ass with a confused smile on their face.
For example, go to any popular MMOG forum and take note of the excessive complaining about all manner of game dynamics and routines. Most of the time, the people complaining would just like the game to be changed in some way, and these feelings are usually shared by the majority. Nevertheless, the most popular retort to any such complaint is something akin to "well it is Square's game, and if you don't like it than you don't have to play!". The extremely sad thing is, is that as customers you should expect a company to improve its product to the majority's wishes, and to fix bugs in a timely fashion, etc. But since such a huge user-base of customers without any self-worth exists, the MMOG companies continue to run their shops the way they do: with a complete disregard for customer satisfaction and product quality.
I am in full support of using the broad-powered, freedom crushing Patriot Act in apprehending and imprisoning spammers. We might as well get some good out of it.
There is a deep history of people manufacturing conspiracy theories concerning massive environmental disasters (among other things). There is no proof that there is any imminent, immediate danger. With the data we have at hand, the probability of there being something wrong, or of the world being in danger, is very low (many would argue non-existant).
These simple factors are what leads the layman to laugh at the theorists.
On the other hand, scientists have a history of being very open and approachable about their findings, a trait that is common among scientists, as the very nature of scientific research demands it. Historically speaking, "End of the World" theories have always been wrong.
Sure, like how learning to play footbal via Madden encourages kids to go outside and do the real thing.
Basically, any a kid or adult that is actually interested in this is so helplessly socially inept, unattractive, and ignorant that they would never be motivated to learn much of anything useful in the first place. Just think "Trekkie", and you get the idea.
Because Ati cards are better and cheaper than nVidia.
You see, a vast majority of people buy better graphic cards in order to make video games running on the Windows operating system run better. Whether or not the drivers are open source does not matter to this vast majority. What matters is price and performance.
You can get a Radeon 9600XT 256MB for roughly $170. This card performs as well as a $300 nVidia card. Other Radeon cards, such as the 9700, perform better than their $50-$75 more expensive nVidia counterparts.
I am an open source proponent. I push Linux at work and at play. But, I know that open source has its place, and frankly, it shouldn't matter to anyone if a graphics card manufacturer opens up their drivers or not. If that irrelevant fact actually bothers you, than the issue lies within you, not the company.
Sorry, but Ati is in the extremely competitive graphics card business, and making their drivers open source (and hence revealing a good amount of information concerning their hardware to their competitors) would be absolutely disasterous. If their competitors can reverse engineer, then let them. By the time they get done Ati will have moved on (this is why graphics companies don't waste man hours and money trying to reverse engineer everything their competitors create).
Open source has its merits and its place, but Ati is running a business that relies on secrets. Learn and tinker on your own time, take that upon yourself. Don't expect companies like Ati to forfeit potential millions just so that you can "play". You pretentious fucking idiot.
Bad idea. Our local HP reseller can get the ultra slim D530 and comparable Compaq units for about $1,000 cheaper, and after adding peripherals and a monitor we would still be saving at least $200-300.
Any pro's won in the portability of these systems over traditional desktops is easily countered: there are far lighter laptops available.
This is the most tremendously ignorant engineering move in laptop computing that I have ever borne witness to.
The only clear reason for an operating system and productivity company to make a video codec is as a means to tie consumers into their technology.
Microsoft doesn't make money off Media Player. It isn't a real selling point for Windows. Media Player isn't used in any productive manner by businesses.
But, if you make sure that your video codec, which only Media Player will can ever use to it's full potential, is the de facto standard, and insure that Media Player only runs on Windows.....
Carrie, glancing back over her shoulder at Mr. Big, smiling to herself in complete satisfaction, presses the button and strides out into the busy NY street.
Carrie: "Life... I started thinking about Paris, and how love AAHGHHHRGHH!!!"
-- taxi cab grinds Carrie into the asphalt, and the credits begin to roll ---
Yes, my girl friend made me watch that damn show for an entire year. The demise of that vile, high-priced sitcom has filled me with a joy not felt since childhood.
"I think we can do that. I think that's a deliverable message."
And I know that money talks and bullshit walks. Unless we get some thick-walleted lobbyists on our side, the souless corporations will continue to turn innovation and invention into commodities - and Open Source and Free Software will remain terms that no one but the choir ever hears.
It is difficult for me to relate to ESR, because I am not ignorant eneough to ever have a problem installing a printer using CUPS. This process is so simple I that never even thought about it, let alone reflect upon it. I just do it.
It sounds like ESR loves Windows, but for some odd reason he likes to torture himself with Linux. It's no secret that Linux is for smart people, sorry.
1. "...ceding the field (and probably the future) to scripting-language competitors like Python and Perl.'
Phipps responded that Java is not a scripting language, so it is meaningless to make such a comparison."
It is meaningful if Python and Perl, scripting langauge or not, is being chosen instead of Java.
2. "IBM is just wrapping itself in the flag, but it still behaves like an old-fashioned systems company. Sun is actually taking the risks. [Raymond] isn't well informed and is ignoring most of the stuff that Sun is doing. He completely ignores things like the Java Desktop, the Java Enterprise System running on Linux in its new servers. He's very selective about what he wants to write about."
He bashes IBM for being a system company, and then points out two examples of how his own company leverages Linux to sell it's systems (Java Desktop only comes on Sun machines, support is limited for Java Enterprise running on Linux unless you buy one of Sun's systems).
For a "Chief Whatever" of a major corporation, he sure does suck at spinning the truth. These guys are usually pretty good at that kind of thing.
"Since everyone thought it was just dandy to package someone else's graphics system (XFree) with their Linux distribution, these is exactly the sort of consequences one should expect."
First, XFree is an open source, community driven project. Hence, in many distributors eyes is wasn't merely "someone else's graphic system". The real problem was that all of these distributors assumed that XFree would remain GPL-compatible forever. In fact, many of the distributors contributed to the XFree project (see above). Beyond that, XFree was and is the standard, so it was only natural to use it.
XFree's sudden change to their license was a suprise that many people never saw coming.
That's the thing about ActiveX: as long as it is signed (and not expired), or you decide to trust it anyways, ActiveX has whatever permissions the user that is launching it does. Pretty fucking stupid, huh?
Slashdot Mirror
It seems pretty clear that Microsoft is bent on controlling every aspect of computing. This search engine technology marks their foothold in providing content (as does MSN). Yesterday's mention of AOL marks their foothold in providing access to content (as does MSN). They're also involved in everything from peripheral hardware to the BIOS to the operating system to the browser (and other web content software). Ok, this is all rather obvious.
Looking at this body of involvement I see two areas of growth. Microsoft will not content themselves until they are involved with the very core of the internet. They need their own backbone. As an ultra-slim MCI emerges from bankruptcy later this year, they'll be a very juicy target, especially considering they own UUNET.
As mentioned, Microsoft has a foothold in every part of the computer up to my very fingertips with their own keyboards. The other area of growth is my hands themselves. More and more peripherals will be coming with the secure computing initiative that will be used to securely identify the user. There are already biometric devices, ho hum. But, Microsoft has already started expressing interest in RFID technology. Your own embedded RFID will eventually be your user authentication method.
In conclusion (a very obvious one): This is the Computer Age. Microsoft aims to make themselves synonymous with the very word "computer" and they're doing a pretty darn good job. As everything in the world ends up with some computer in it (think RFIDs), Microsoft will gain global dominance and a strangehold on every industry. If this isn't a monopoly, I don't know what is.
Like Bill Maher said: "Voting with computers used to sound cool and futuristic, back in 1969. Today we know that computers are just big fuck-up machines."
That is a hell of lot of enlargement going on.
Perhaps at first it will work with Linux, but it is obvious that "Trusted Computing" aims to do two things: eliminate software/media piracy, and eliminate competition against Microsoft. Period.
A majority of the youth there drink heavily by the age of 16, in fact it seems socially ingrained. They don't have any notable icons of social pride other than a sport, hockey. An indifferent feeling, and in most cases hate, exists between the varying states (or whatever they are called in Canada), particularly toward the mostly French ones. I speak with Canadians concerning business matters at least twice a month, and even in casual discussions it is alarming how racist they are towards African Americans.
It is very easy easy to run a national healthcare system when you have a small economy, almost no military spending, and a tiny population.
Yea, Canada, a social icon of the first world. Note the scarcasm.
boo nigga, boo
I think the answer then lies within a solid emulator. I think gamining companies would support this as well. It would take them far less time and money to make sure their game was programmed to operate within Wine than to write a Linux port. Not to mention the pool of open source volunteers at their disposal.
That is the fallacy of MMOGs. The companies that run the MMOGs treat their customers like it is a privilege to get to play their game. And sadly, the players/customers routinely take it in the ass with a confused smile on their face.
For example, go to any popular MMOG forum and take note of the excessive complaining about all manner of game dynamics and routines. Most of the time, the people complaining would just like the game to be changed in some way, and these feelings are usually shared by the majority. Nevertheless, the most popular retort to any such complaint is something akin to "well it is Square's game, and if you don't like it than you don't have to play!". The extremely sad thing is, is that as customers you should expect a company to improve its product to the majority's wishes, and to fix bugs in a timely fashion, etc. But since such a huge user-base of customers without any self-worth exists, the MMOG companies continue to run their shops the way they do: with a complete disregard for customer satisfaction and product quality.
I am in full support of using the broad-powered, freedom crushing Patriot Act in apprehending and imprisoning spammers. We might as well get some good out of it.
These simple factors are what leads the layman to laugh at the theorists.
On the other hand, scientists have a history of being very open and approachable about their findings, a trait that is common among scientists, as the very nature of scientific research demands it. Historically speaking, "End of the World" theories have always been wrong.
Get the picture?
There is a lots of information concerning the actual research being conducted.
Poorly or incorrectly manufactured automobiles kill, too. The same can be said of power tools, or kitchen appliances.
The problem is not with the end product. Rather, the problem lies with the human(s) that created the software.
And those humans reside in India.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Why doesn't AOL just settle with Ellison, maybe offer him like 5,000 free hours instead of the normal 2,500?
Basically, any a kid or adult that is actually interested in this is so helplessly socially inept, unattractive, and ignorant that they would never be motivated to learn much of anything useful in the first place. Just think "Trekkie", and you get the idea.
You see, a vast majority of people buy better graphic cards in order to make video games running on the Windows operating system run better. Whether or not the drivers are open source does not matter to this vast majority. What matters is price and performance.
You can get a Radeon 9600XT 256MB for roughly $170. This card performs as well as a $300 nVidia card. Other Radeon cards, such as the 9700, perform better than their $50-$75 more expensive nVidia counterparts.
I am an open source proponent. I push Linux at work and at play. But, I know that open source has its place, and frankly, it shouldn't matter to anyone if a graphics card manufacturer opens up their drivers or not. If that irrelevant fact actually bothers you, than the issue lies within you, not the company.
Open source has its merits and its place, but Ati is running a business that relies on secrets. Learn and tinker on your own time, take that upon yourself. Don't expect companies like Ati to forfeit potential millions just so that you can "play". You pretentious fucking idiot.
Any pro's won in the portability of these systems over traditional desktops is easily countered: there are far lighter laptops available.
This is the most tremendously ignorant engineering move in laptop computing that I have ever borne witness to.
Microsoft doesn't make money off Media Player. It isn't a real selling point for Windows. Media Player isn't used in any productive manner by businesses.
But, if you make sure that your video codec, which only Media Player will can ever use to it's full potential, is the de facto standard, and insure that Media Player only runs on Windows.....
Carrie: "Life... I started thinking about Paris, and how love AAHGHHHRGHH!!!"
-- taxi cab grinds Carrie into the asphalt, and the credits begin to roll ---
Yes, my girl friend made me watch that damn show for an entire year. The demise of that vile, high-priced sitcom has filled me with a joy not felt since childhood.
And I know that money talks and bullshit walks. Unless we get some thick-walleted lobbyists on our side, the souless corporations will continue to turn innovation and invention into commodities - and Open Source and Free Software will remain terms that no one but the choir ever hears.
It sounds like ESR loves Windows, but for some odd reason he likes to torture himself with Linux. It's no secret that Linux is for smart people, sorry.
Phipps responded that Java is not a scripting language, so it is meaningless to make such a comparison."
It is meaningful if Python and Perl, scripting langauge or not, is being chosen instead of Java.
2. "IBM is just wrapping itself in the flag, but it still behaves like an old-fashioned systems company. Sun is actually taking the risks. [Raymond] isn't well informed and is ignoring most of the stuff that Sun is doing. He completely ignores things like the Java Desktop, the Java Enterprise System running on Linux in its new servers. He's very selective about what he wants to write about."
He bashes IBM for being a system company, and then points out two examples of how his own company leverages Linux to sell it's systems (Java Desktop only comes on Sun machines, support is limited for Java Enterprise running on Linux unless you buy one of Sun's systems).
For a "Chief Whatever" of a major corporation, he sure does suck at spinning the truth. These guys are usually pretty good at that kind of thing.
God damn I'm a nerd.
First, XFree is an open source, community driven project. Hence, in many distributors eyes is wasn't merely "someone else's graphic system". The real problem was that all of these distributors assumed that XFree would remain GPL-compatible forever. In fact, many of the distributors contributed to the XFree project (see above). Beyond that, XFree was and is the standard, so it was only natural to use it.
XFree's sudden change to their license was a suprise that many people never saw coming.
That's the thing about ActiveX: as long as it is signed (and not expired), or you decide to trust it anyways, ActiveX has whatever permissions the user that is launching it does. Pretty fucking stupid, huh?