I seriously doubt that the little ridge holds it in place while it's spinning at god-knows-what RPM. I think the spindle clamps it down while it's spinning... but the ridge DOES make sure that the spindle is aligned correctly when the disc is inserted.
So, I'd guess that either rounded edges or a rectangle with rounded corners would work - as long as the resulting disc is perfectly inscribed in the correct diameter circle... some of the links in comments here show some wicked looking shapes (gears, fish, etc - just gotta balance it right) ----
As much as I like Gnome, it is possible to make X a lot nicer looking without signing over your first born to any particular desktop environment... the nice thing about this is it's not "theme beautiful" - just "easy on the eyes" beautiful.:)
Although the sample code will be released open source, the MPEG-2 driver will be released in binary format in order to maintain DVD security.
Since WHEN does MPEG-2 playback have anything to do with "DVD security?" Argh. The DVD Cartel must have some pretty big goons that they send around to their license holders....
People have been begging Sigma Designs for information on their mpeg-2 playback engine, saying that there certainly can't be anything wrong with providing specs on that part of their DVD decoders. CSS is the only problem, right? And they come back and say "Well, but if we tell you how to do mpeg-2 playback, then you'll use css-cat to play DVDs, and that's illegal!" - which sounds like a strange argument to me... I think that basically, they're afraid that the MPAA will come down hard on them if they help open sourced DVD playback in any way.
But now ATI comes out with this same information... this is great. Hopefully others will follow. The whole thing just smacks of strong-arming by the DVD industry.
(See the "Question about MPEG playback on HW" thread on the video4linux archives - if you can find them. Red Hat - you host this list, why don't you archive it?) ----
Check this out: http://www.afajournal.org/cover/pornography_1.asp
The state affiliate of the American Family Association in Michigan is in the thick of several battles to add filtering software to library computers in an effort to protect children from the flow of pornography.
That demand was fueled by the tragic rape of a 10-year-old girl at the Hackley Public Library in Muskegon, Michigan, while her father was at the front desk. The library has no filtering software on its four publicly accessible computers.
Damn them for not filtering their computers. It obviously caused the rape. My heart goes out to that little girl, but excuse me... what does her tragedy have to do with internet censorware? ----
Also, when the CTO of a Fortune 100 company is deciding whether to commit to Linux for 50,000 new computers, he (or she) is certainly going to be demanding.They might be a little uncertain where to direct their demands, but the overall ability of the Linux community to meet her needs is going to influence that purchase decision.
Again, I think this is a mistaken point of view. Don't expect the Linux community to meet your needs - become part of the Linux community, and do what you need to do. This could mean either having your programmers work on features, or throwing money at someone who can. However, expecting "the community to meet your needs" would be disastrous. If this fundamental misunderstanding isn't straightened out, Linux will be a miserable failure in the business environment. ----
your TV card may in fact work better.... Gerd has done a lot of work on the bttv driver, but many of the changes aren't merged yet... go to the xawtv site and grab the latest 7.x version of bttv - you may be pleasantly surprised.
(It will work with 2.2.x as well, with some patches) ----
Hrm, I can't remember the last time I had to upgrade a kernel before I could install a package...
Dependencies aren't there, because an application will happily install whatever vesion of a system file it needs - even if that breaks other apps that need a newer version. Maybe there are some dependencies after all, eh...? Just working in the other direction:) ----
There is an undeniable niceness to grabbing a zipfile, unloading it into a temp directory, running the program for while, deciding whether to keep it, or to delete the directory.
You forgot "and digging out files from the system directory, and figuring out which system-critical DLLs have been written over, and clearing out the buried registry entries..."
Win32 does have an easier install process, but uninstalling is a bitch. I'm loathe to just "try out" some package because who knows what state my system will be in when I uninstall it again... ----
As Linux is embraced by more organizations, and used in more ways that are crucial, the demands upon you will increase. New feature ideas and bug reports will no longer go onto a "wish list"; they will go onto a "hot list." You will face pressure to add 50 new items to the next release, when it really ought to have 10. Wealthy organizations, accustomed to getting their way, will demand impossible schedules from you, and then complain if the quality is not perfect.
I'm not sure I agree with this - perhaps demands will be put on Red Hat and the like, but when it comes down to programmers, I don't think so. If it happens, it will likely be ignored. The text that comes with the GPL'd app says explicitly that there is no warranty, and if the free software developer doesn't want to implement 50 features in her spare time, then she simply won't. Is this the kiss of death for Linux in the business environment? Perhaps, but it shouldn't be. Someone who wants features right now can throw money at someone, and get it. Otherwise, it's free, and development terms are dictated by the developer.
Some readers have suggested to me that the open source method of software development causes project management issues to evaporate; that the projects manage themselves. This is a fantasy. The open source method, while it does solves some problems, raises new ones. You will be managing a large public programming project with conflicting demands, tight schedules, and the need for high quality. You have to figure out how to do this well. Hopefully, you can invent and master new techniques for software project management within the open source method. But if you don't, the complexity of this task will sink your whole endeavor.
Again, I think the Free Software community has demonstrated that their project management (or whatever you want to call it - their development process...) works very well. Perhaps it's not what people are used to, but it provides robust, feature-filled software. What may be lacking is that most software contains features for programmers, rather than for users. But I don't think I agree that a fundamental change is needed. Perhaps it boils down to the goal of Linux - is it acceptance in the business world, or is it a robust, free, operating system?
Other than that, I think you make some excellent points, and I hope the Linux community can grok them.:) ----
How do you keep the other side from following all of your discussions? Do you really want the lawyer on the other side to know exactly what arguments you'll make in court?
I think this is a great idea, but I'm wondering about this aspect. How do you keep your best arguments a secret? Or do you just hope that they're so good, it doesn't matter WHO knows them? ----
Chips have to be manufactured -- with white coats, ovens, and stuff
I work for the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductor equipment. Bob's analysis of the semiconductor manufacturing process is laughable. "Ovens?!"
I guess that fits in pretty well with his overly simplistic view of source code, CPU architecture, and everything else he wrote about in this article... ----
What DeCSS lets the consortium do is determine who will make players, and on what terms, and who will provide content. If you can neither encrypt or decrypt the bit stream, you are locked out of both markets.
I'm 99% sure you don't need to use CSS to create content - just make an unencrypted DVD. Pretty sure they exist... ----
Email them _nicely_ and explain why you won't use the program without the source. Leave out the conspiracy theories, for obvious reasons...
Suggestion: Use "Please provide find_ddos source code" as the subject - about 100 messages with the same subject, all asking nicely, should get their attention.:)
Now, Blizzard's case is slightly stronger (in my VERY nonexperienced eyes) because "Blizzard" isn't a typical last name,
No, it's not a last name... it's just an english word. God forbid that someone register a domain with a standard english word, eh? This is no different than veronica.com and ajax.org - if somebody takes your "word" first well - too bad. Register blizzardgames.net and get over it.
Before we begin with all the posts about how Red Hat is simply inflating their version numbers, etc, etc, let's take a moment to look at the past Red Hat release schedule...
Oh yeah, comes out about every 6 months, like clockwork. That's a good thing, IMHO - if you want to stay on the cutting^H^H^H^ fairly sharp edge (and of course you don't HAVE to....) there it is, all wrapped up with a bow on it. ----
Slashdot Mirror
I seriously doubt that the little ridge holds it in place while it's spinning at god-knows-what RPM. I think the spindle clamps it down while it's spinning... but the ridge DOES make sure that the spindle is aligned correctly when the disc is inserted.
So, I'd guess that either rounded edges or a rectangle with rounded corners would work - as long as the resulting disc is perfectly inscribed in the correct diameter circle... some of the links in comments here show some wicked looking shapes (gears, fish, etc - just gotta balance it right)
----
Hmm... now that is pretty neat. bizcard-cd has blanks for $4 each. Now where's my credit card...
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There has got to be a HUGE market for that.... I know most CD-ROMs can read the lil' discs, but can CD-R's write them?
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Awesome - how about a running counter on your page? (not a visit counter, but a "click out" counter) You need some buttons to link with, too. :)
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The XFree86 Font Deuglification Mini HOWTO
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And Linux already runs on that... sorta :)
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I should read before I post...
Although the sample code will be released open source, the MPEG-2 driver will be released in binary format in order to maintain DVD security.
Since WHEN does MPEG-2 playback have anything to do with "DVD security?" Argh. The DVD Cartel must have some pretty big goons that they send around to their license holders....
----
People have been begging Sigma Designs for information on their mpeg-2 playback engine, saying that there certainly can't be anything wrong with providing specs on that part of their DVD decoders. CSS is the only problem, right? And they come back and say "Well, but if we tell you how to do mpeg-2 playback, then you'll use css-cat to play DVDs, and that's illegal!" - which sounds like a strange argument to me... I think that basically, they're afraid that the MPAA will come down hard on them if they help open sourced DVD playback in any way.
But now ATI comes out with this same information... this is great. Hopefully others will follow. The whole thing just smacks of strong-arming by the DVD industry.
(See the "Question about MPEG playback on HW" thread on the video4linux archives - if you can find them. Red Hat - you host this list, why don't you archive it?)
----
Damn them for not filtering their computers. It obviously caused the rape. My heart goes out to that little girl, but excuse me... what does her tragedy have to do with internet censorware?
----
So you're saying instead of just buying a product I need to hire people to write a product for me?
That's just stupid.
No, I'm saying that if you get something for free, and it doesn't exactly meet your needs, don't expect it to be tailored to your needs for free.
----
Also, when the CTO of a Fortune 100 company is deciding whether to commit to Linux for 50,000 new computers, he (or she) is certainly going to be demanding.They might be a little uncertain where to direct their demands, but the overall ability of the Linux community to meet her needs is going to influence that purchase decision.
Again, I think this is a mistaken point of view. Don't expect the Linux community to meet your needs - become part of the Linux community, and do what you need to do. This could mean either having your programmers work on features, or throwing money at someone who can. However, expecting "the community to meet your needs" would be disastrous. If this fundamental misunderstanding isn't straightened out, Linux will be a miserable failure in the business environment.
----
your TV card may in fact work better.... Gerd has done a lot of work on the bttv driver, but many of the changes aren't merged yet... go to the xawtv site and grab the latest 7.x version of bttv - you may be pleasantly surprised.
(It will work with 2.2.x as well, with some patches)
----
Hrm, I can't remember the last time I had to upgrade a kernel before I could install a package...
:)
Dependencies aren't there, because an application will happily install whatever vesion of a system file it needs - even if that breaks other apps that need a newer version. Maybe there are some dependencies after all, eh...? Just working in the other direction
----
You forgot "and digging out files from the system directory, and figuring out which system-critical DLLs have been written over, and clearing out the buried registry entries..."
Win32 does have an easier install process, but uninstalling is a bitch. I'm loathe to just "try out" some package because who knows what state my system will be in when I uninstall it again...
----
I'm not sure I agree with this - perhaps demands will be put on Red Hat and the like, but when it comes down to programmers, I don't think so. If it happens, it will likely be ignored. The text that comes with the GPL'd app says explicitly that there is no warranty, and if the free software developer doesn't want to implement 50 features in her spare time, then she simply won't. Is this the kiss of death for Linux in the business environment? Perhaps, but it shouldn't be. Someone who wants features right now can throw money at someone, and get it. Otherwise, it's free, and development terms are dictated by the developer.
Some readers have suggested to me that the open source method of software development causes project management issues to evaporate; that the projects manage themselves. This is a fantasy. The open source method, while it does solves some problems, raises new ones. You will be managing a large public programming project with conflicting demands, tight schedules, and the need for high quality. You have to figure out how to do this well. Hopefully, you can invent and master new techniques for software project management within the open source method. But if you don't, the complexity of this task will sink your whole endeavor.
Again, I think the Free Software community has demonstrated that their project management (or whatever you want to call it - their development process...) works very well. Perhaps it's not what people are used to, but it provides robust, feature-filled software. What may be lacking is that most software contains features for programmers, rather than for users. But I don't think I agree that a fundamental change is needed. Perhaps it boils down to the goal of Linux - is it acceptance in the business world, or is it a robust, free, operating system?
Other than that, I think you make some excellent points, and I hope the Linux community can grok them. :)
----
How do you keep the other side from following all of your discussions? Do you really want the lawyer on the other side to know exactly what arguments you'll make in court?
I think this is a great idea, but I'm wondering about this aspect. How do you keep your best arguments a secret? Or do you just hope that they're so good, it doesn't matter WHO knows them?
----
Chips have to be manufactured -- with white coats, ovens, and stuff
I work for the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductor equipment. Bob's analysis of the semiconductor manufacturing process is laughable. "Ovens?!"
I guess that fits in pretty well with his overly simplistic view of source code, CPU architecture, and everything else he wrote about in this article...
----
Thanks, that code might be a bit easier to browse through. :)
----
Mozilla is the only app I've seen that puts a custom icon in the Gnome Tasklist - anyone know how this is done?
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My company has standardized on Netscape 3.0 (!) and they have a customized icon...
----
What DeCSS lets the consortium do is determine who will make players, and on what terms, and who will provide content. If you can neither encrypt or decrypt the bit stream, you are locked out of both markets.
I'm 99% sure you don't need to use CSS to create content - just make an unencrypted DVD. Pretty sure they exist...
----
I found an email address - NIPC@fbi.gov
:)
Email them _nicely_ and explain why you won't use the program without the source. Leave out the conspiracy theories, for obvious reasons...
Suggestion: Use "Please provide find_ddos source code" as the subject - about 100 messages with the same subject, all asking nicely, should get their attention.
Oh yeah - ask nicely.
Did I mention that you should ask _nicely_?
----
No way I'll run it. I was going to email them, explaining why, but there's no email address to be found.
Are there other tools available to detect these programs?
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Now, Blizzard's case is slightly stronger (in my VERY nonexperienced eyes) because "Blizzard" isn't a typical last name,
:)
No, it's not a last name... it's just an english word. God forbid that someone register a domain with a standard english word, eh? This is no different than veronica.com and ajax.org - if somebody takes your "word" first well - too bad. Register blizzardgames.net and get over it.
So there.
----
Before we begin with all the posts about how Red Hat is simply inflating their version numbers, etc, etc, let's take a moment to look at the past Red Hat release schedule...
Oh yeah, comes out about every 6 months, like clockwork. That's a good thing, IMHO - if you want to stay on the cutting^H^H^H^ fairly sharp edge (and of course you don't HAVE to....) there it is, all wrapped up with a bow on it.
----