Miguel sees to know a lot about microsoft and their products... he's not shy about saying that Gnumeric emulates Excel. If the UI makes sense, and if it's what people have grown used to, then I think it's prudent to make something that's familiar. That is, if your goal is to get Linux on the desktop ready for the masses... and I think that in this case, it is the goal...
My wife uses Hotmail, because she likes the convenience of getting her mail through a web browser, from any computer. I've seen a few apps for Linux that allow you to pull your mail off a POP or IMAP server, and access it through the web (ACME mail comes to mind - http://www.astray.com/acmemail/)
Has anyone used this, or similar programs? How well do they work? How insecure are they?
It'd be nice to set up an alternative web mail system....
Yes, the whole market is down today. But of the 15 or so tech stocks I track, RHAT is at the bottom % wise today: -13%. I gotta say, not too surprising... as a RHAT stockholder I can't say I'm really pleased either. People look on Linux as being pretty speculative in the first place (at least as far as business prospects go) so then to go out and say "hey, we're extending our already speculative business model - we're going to go invest in more new technologies!" probably doesn't sit too well.
I'd be happy if they'd dump that $2 million into helping get Linux truly ready for the average user's desktop - before Microsoft does it for them with Word for Linux, or whatever...
And I would rather play these via shockwave, instead of using Mame, because....?:) Still, kinda cool that they (midway) are willing to loosen their grip on the old classics just a bit... nifty demonstration of Shockwave, too.
There are a ton of great network apps for the palm pilot, including web browsers, telnet clients, IRC & ICQ clients... it's too bad that Serial is becoming a "legacy" port, because having the serial port on the Palm is cheap and easy to program. I can walk up to my headless server and plug the palm into the serial port, log in, and see what's going on. You could rig it to a cell phone and check mail. I was even looking at writing an app to use it to talk (via the serial port) to a servo motor driver... there's not much these things can't do!:)
Well, the dissenting judges said that the reason the software company SHOULD be liable is that the contract was amended unilaterally, after the sale. i.e., the original contract was "Send us the money, we'll ship you the program" - but when it arrived, *poof* here's this new license on the box, or worse, IN the box.
With GPL'd software, at least what you get off the web, you haven't entered any ambiguous contract up front - the smart web pages say, right there on the download page, "NO GUARANTEES" so I don't think there's any real grounds for a suit.
At least that's how I read it. Or I could be completely wrong.:)
Isn't that sort of like saying "how can a loosely knit band of hackers with no central authority produce quality software?":)
I see what you mean, though... there would probably be a lot of crap. And a lot of copyright infringing stuff. (It is hard to resist putting in some H.A.L. samples, for example...)
As far as quality goes, though, if it was generated from a synthesizer, rather than an analog recording, the quality would be good... most sound effects I've heard for window managers seem to be synthesized sounds.
That seriously sucks... he can't represent Corley on DVDs because he's representing Scholastic on some other thing? Those cases are probably so far apart it's not funny. Except, of course, that they're under the same global media conglomerate.
It'll be really nifty when all of the world's media are owned by the same corporation, and it's nearly impossible to find a lawyer to represent you in a case against them, because all of the law firms are involved with the megacorp in one way or another....
But you shouldn't be too cynical, either. Some companies really do make an effort. A bunch of semi companies here in Austin have signed up for "Green Choice" power from the electric co - paying about 4% extra which will buy power from wind farms, etc.
And although that press release from Applied Materials did look a bit cheesy, this one (yeah, another release... the EPA has a corroborating story here) points out that they got a Climate Protection Award from the EPA in 1999.... "This year's award recognizes only ten individuals and organizations worldwide that have made exemplary efforts and achievements to protect the global climate."
So yeah, be wary, but applaud those who ARE doing good things...
Part of the problem with flywheels is that if they come apart, they kill people... there's a sh*tload of energy stored up, and it's moving really really fast... one cool solution I've heard is to make it out of a tightly wound kevlar cord - then if it fails, it just turns into a ball of spaghetti instead of flying shrapnel in the mall parking lot.:-)
I had a bit of a hard time with the article since it started right off saying that cleanroom workers wear "sterile suits." Of course they're not sterile... they're clean. Keeps dander and the like off of your shiny new Athlon.
There are some pretty scary chemicals used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, though. Take HF, for instance - it'll leach the calcium out of your bones. Through your skin. (This same substance is used in alloy wheel cleaner...). Some of the gases that go into the mix are morbidly called "two-step" gases - one whiff, take two steps, and you're dead.
Of course this is all taken pretty seriously. Worker safety is extremely important - organizations like Semi have very strict requirements on safety interlocks for the processing equipment, for example.
As far as environmental impact goes, I think it's becoming important as well. Applied Materials, the largest manufacturer of semiconductor processing equipment, has a "Green Initiative" which seeks to minimize environmental damage in the manufacturing process. Take for example this press release:
SANTA CLARA, Calif., October 7, 1997 -- Applied Materials, Inc., the leading supplier of CVD (chemical vapor deposition) systems to the worldwide semiconductor industry, has introduced a key technology innovation for its dielectric CVD products that provides the industry's first zero-consumables chamber cleaning process and virtually eliminates PFC (perfluorocompound) emissions.
"Applied Materials is very concerned about global warming gases used in the semiconductor industry and is voluntarily leading an effort, in cooperation with its customers, to find ways to eliminate their emission. Our Remote Plasma Clean technology not only provides a breakthrough in environmental safety by virtually eliminating global warming emissions from dielectric CVD systems...
So yeah, there's a lot of scary stuff, but I think the industry does make a real effort to keep it under control. The article was a bit shocking, though... I hadn't heard those stories...
Using Napster to trade illegal copies of copyrighted works is against their stated policy, and it's against the law. There's really no arguing that point. If Metallica goes after people who steal their works, I say more power to them. I'd rather see them go after the abusers of Napster than Napster itself. Napster can be used legitimately. But if you use it to break the law, well - you just might get the consequences.
It makes you & Slashdot look bad to say "If Metallica is going to assert their rights against theives (many of them are kids!) then by golly, let's not buy their CDs anymore!"
Well, yes, you do have to broadcast the result. But if John Q. Terrorist needs an accurate signal, he can get it. Rebroadcasting the correction is relatively trivial, technically. If you build/control the transmitter, you could be quite certain that you were getting the right information.
As I understand it, they just introduced a random error into the signal. To get around it, you just put a receiver at a known location. Then, (received signal - known location) = error signal.
Then you just compensate for the error. Seems like sort of a pointless exercise all around...
475th post! Dammit, I used to defend Nvidia, giving them the benefit of the doubt. But this is absolutely ridiculous.
1) They have code out there violating a license agreement. Take it down. Now. Or open up the rest of the code to bring it in compliance with the license. Saying "oops sorry we'll fix that next version" is absurd.
2) The notion that it was an "accident" is bullshit, pure and simple. How do you "accidentally" copy someone else's code? It takes a determined act to go find a software package, untar it, look through it, understand it, then COPY IT, paste it into your code, and compile it. Accident, my ass.
3) The fact that they flatly refuse to open up their source, but are more than happy to steal OTHER people's code, is indefensible.
I will not support this type of behavior. My crusty old TNT is the last Nvidia card I buy, until they get a collective clue.
In addition to joining the EFF, you can also contribute directly to their DVD defense fund, to help pay for lawyers like Mr. Garbus. If you can, put your money where your mouth is! The page is here.
I did... ok, it was only $35, but it makes a difference. Perhaps it's time to slashdot the EFF again? Join here, or contribute directly to the DVD Defense Fund here. "Make a special gift to help EFF defend against the movie industry's attempt to criminalize open-source coding."
Slashdot Mirror
And it only took an estimated 10 billion dollars worth of damage worldwide before they did something about the security problems... whoo! :)
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Miguel sees to know a lot about microsoft and their products... he's not shy about saying that Gnumeric emulates Excel. If the UI makes sense, and if it's what people have grown used to, then I think it's prudent to make something that's familiar. That is, if your goal is to get Linux on the desktop ready for the masses... and I think that in this case, it is the goal...
---
My wife uses Hotmail, because she likes the convenience of getting her mail through a web browser, from any computer. I've seen a few apps for Linux that allow you to pull your mail off a POP or IMAP server, and access it through the web (ACME mail comes to mind - http://www.astray.com/acmemail/)
Has anyone used this, or similar programs? How well do they work? How insecure are they?
It'd be nice to set up an alternative web mail system....
---
You still here? I thought you retired. :)
:) RHAT turned into a Looong term investment for me in the past month or so. :)
We did similar things...
Not bad, put down $1400 for the 100 shares at the IPO,
Did 200 shares...
cash out,
Yep...
buy back in,
Yep...
cash out,
Oops.
Trying to remind myself why I didn't sell at $300.
---
Yes, the whole market is down today. But of the 15 or so tech stocks I track, RHAT is at the bottom % wise today: -13%. I gotta say, not too surprising... as a RHAT stockholder I can't say I'm really pleased either. People look on Linux as being pretty speculative in the first place (at least as far as business prospects go) so then to go out and say "hey, we're extending our already speculative business model - we're going to go invest in more new technologies!" probably doesn't sit too well.
I'd be happy if they'd dump that $2 million into helping get Linux truly ready for the average user's desktop - before Microsoft does it for them with Word for Linux, or whatever...
---
Yeah, the economy has really blown over the last 8 or so years, hasn't it? :D
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I was going to write to kenwood and see if I could get the specs for the control... that would definately be sweet...
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And I would rather play these via shockwave, instead of using Mame, because....? :) Still, kinda cool that they (midway) are willing to loosen their grip on the old classics just a bit... nifty demonstration of Shockwave, too.
Does Shockwave run on Linux?
---
Is it just me, or is it kinda strange to rejoice over the fact that there's no GPL'd code in the Nvidia drivers? :)
---
There are a ton of great network apps for the palm pilot, including web browsers, telnet clients, IRC & ICQ clients... it's too bad that Serial is becoming a "legacy" port, because having the serial port on the Palm is cheap and easy to program. I can walk up to my headless server and plug the palm into the serial port, log in, and see what's going on. You could rig it to a cell phone and check mail. I was even looking at writing an app to use it to talk (via the serial port) to a servo motor driver... there's not much these things can't do! :)
---
Well, the dissenting judges said that the reason the software company SHOULD be liable is that the contract was amended unilaterally, after the sale. i.e., the original contract was "Send us the money, we'll ship you the program" - but when it arrived, *poof* here's this new license on the box, or worse, IN the box.
:)
With GPL'd software, at least what you get off the web, you haven't entered any ambiguous contract up front - the smart web pages say, right there on the download page, "NO GUARANTEES" so I don't think there's any real grounds for a suit.
At least that's how I read it. Or I could be completely wrong.
---
Isn't that sort of like saying "how can a loosely knit band of hackers with no central authority produce quality software?" :)
I see what you mean, though... there would probably be a lot of crap. And a lot of copyright infringing stuff. (It is hard to resist putting in some H.A.L. samples, for example...)
As far as quality goes, though, if it was generated from a synthesizer, rather than an analog recording, the quality would be good... most sound effects I've heard for window managers seem to be synthesized sounds.
---
That seriously sucks... he can't represent Corley on DVDs because he's representing Scholastic on some other thing? Those cases are probably so far apart it's not funny. Except, of course, that they're under the same global media conglomerate.
It'll be really nifty when all of the world's media are owned by the same corporation, and it's nearly impossible to find a lawyer to represent you in a case against them, because all of the law firms are involved with the megacorp in one way or another....
---
*sigh* and they probably cast parts for semiconductor equipment at that plant. :/
Oh well, Bush is the environmental candidate, right? Things will be fine when he gets into office.
*sigh*
---
Yes, I shout at the TV when those ads are on. :-)
But you shouldn't be too cynical, either. Some companies really do make an effort. A bunch of semi companies here in Austin have signed up for "Green Choice" power from the electric co - paying about 4% extra which will buy power from wind farms, etc.
And although that press release from Applied Materials did look a bit cheesy, this one (yeah, another release... the EPA has a corroborating story here) points out that they got a Climate Protection Award from the EPA in 1999.... "This year's award recognizes only ten individuals and organizations worldwide that have made exemplary efforts and achievements to protect the global climate."
So yeah, be wary, but applaud those who ARE doing good things...
---
Part of the problem with flywheels is that if they come apart, they kill people... there's a sh*tload of energy stored up, and it's moving really really fast... one cool solution I've heard is to make it out of a tightly wound kevlar cord - then if it fails, it just turns into a ball of spaghetti instead of flying shrapnel in the mall parking lot. :-)
---
I had a bit of a hard time with the article since it started right off saying that cleanroom workers wear "sterile suits." Of course they're not sterile... they're clean. Keeps dander and the like off of your shiny new Athlon.
There are some pretty scary chemicals used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, though. Take HF, for instance - it'll leach the calcium out of your bones. Through your skin. (This same substance is used in alloy wheel cleaner...). Some of the gases that go into the mix are morbidly called "two-step" gases - one whiff, take two steps, and you're dead.
Of course this is all taken pretty seriously. Worker safety is extremely important - organizations like Semi have very strict requirements on safety interlocks for the processing equipment, for example.
As far as environmental impact goes, I think it's becoming important as well. Applied Materials, the largest manufacturer of semiconductor processing equipment, has a "Green Initiative" which seeks to minimize environmental damage in the manufacturing process. Take for example this press release:
SANTA CLARA, Calif., October 7, 1997 -- Applied Materials, Inc., the leading supplier of CVD (chemical vapor deposition) systems to the worldwide semiconductor industry, has introduced a key technology innovation for its dielectric CVD products that provides the industry's first zero-consumables chamber cleaning process and virtually eliminates PFC (perfluorocompound) emissions.
"Applied Materials is very concerned about global warming gases used in the semiconductor industry and is voluntarily leading an effort, in cooperation with its customers, to find ways to eliminate their emission. Our Remote Plasma Clean technology not only provides a breakthrough in environmental safety by virtually eliminating global warming emissions from dielectric CVD systems...
So yeah, there's a lot of scary stuff, but I think the industry does make a real effort to keep it under control. The article was a bit shocking, though... I hadn't heard those stories...
---
Using Napster to trade illegal copies of copyrighted works is against their stated policy, and it's against the law. There's really no arguing that point. If Metallica goes after people who steal their works, I say more power to them. I'd rather see them go after the abusers of Napster than Napster itself. Napster can be used legitimately. But if you use it to break the law, well - you just might get the consequences.
It makes you & Slashdot look bad to say "If Metallica is going to assert their rights against theives (many of them are kids!) then by golly, let's not buy their CDs anymore!"
Cripes.
---
Junkbuster is designed specifically for this purpose, as well...
---
Well, yes, you do have to broadcast the result. But if John Q. Terrorist needs an accurate signal, he can get it. Rebroadcasting the correction is relatively trivial, technically. If you build/control the transmitter, you could be quite certain that you were getting the right information.
---
As I understand it, they just introduced a random error into the signal. To get around it, you just put a receiver at a known location. Then, (received signal - known location) = error signal.
Then you just compensate for the error. Seems like sort of a pointless exercise all around...
---
475th post! Dammit, I used to defend Nvidia, giving them the benefit of the doubt. But this is absolutely ridiculous.
1) They have code out there violating a license agreement. Take it down. Now. Or open up the rest of the code to bring it in compliance with the license. Saying "oops sorry we'll fix that next version" is absurd.
2) The notion that it was an "accident" is bullshit, pure and simple. How do you "accidentally" copy someone else's code? It takes a determined act to go find a software package, untar it, look through it, understand it, then COPY IT, paste it into your code, and compile it. Accident, my ass.
3) The fact that they flatly refuse to open up their source, but are more than happy to steal OTHER people's code, is indefensible.
I will not support this type of behavior. My crusty old TNT is the last Nvidia card I buy, until they get a collective clue.
---
Ouch... MP3.com (MPPP) is down 40% today. That's gotta hurt...
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In addition to joining the EFF, you can also contribute directly to their DVD defense fund, to help pay for lawyers like Mr. Garbus. If you can, put your money where your mouth is! The page is here.
---
I did... ok, it was only $35, but it makes a difference. Perhaps it's time to slashdot the EFF again? Join here, or contribute directly to the DVD Defense Fund here. "Make a special gift to help EFF defend against the movie industry's attempt to criminalize open-source coding."
They've got a point...
---