We won't be competing with robots anymore that we compete with our computers. Instead of creating replacements for humans the technology will be augmenting human capability.
We'll be adding multi-spectral vision modes with computer vision, adding to our mental prowess as well as physical capabilities. Increasingly, as a society we lower our repugnance towards self-modification. Once it's socially desirable to be augmented (just as it's now socially desirable for people to have their stomach stapled, have plastic surgury, or replace a lost limb) then the floodgates will open. Who would you rather employ Bionic Steve Austin or a Robot? Didn't Steve always beat the robots?
For more on technological forecasting see books like Ray Kurzweils's "The Age of Spritual Machines"
Perhaps it's not the poor quality software so much as the marketshare of the target os?
If you write a spambot for an OS with smaller marketshare, then you've already limited your possible penetration to the insecure boxes of a smaller base. If every Apple on the internet was insecure and infected would that be higher or lower than (let's say) 10% of Windows boxes on the internet?
Really Prof. Gee, did you have to provide scientific proof that my kids are better off playing Counterstrike instead of working on their history?
Some help you are.
If anything I think such an agreement would detract from the education a student recieves. Part of the education process is to expose students to the myriad of choices and have them practice making decisions. Removing one of the options can only weaken their ability to make similar decisions once they are in the workforce and have to decide to go MS/nonMS for a given solution.
How would you feel if MS made the opposite offer?
Having worked in a related industry and from having been shown in detail a distibutor's costs on selling CDs by the distibutor, I can assure you that the break even point for the distributor is usually less than $.50 . This is their cost for getting it to the customer after production, marketing and anything that goes to the artist.
Slashdot Mirror
Perhaps they're just trying to stay legal.
We'll be adding multi-spectral vision modes with computer vision, adding to our mental prowess as well as physical capabilities. Increasingly, as a society we lower our repugnance towards self-modification. Once it's socially desirable to be augmented (just as it's now socially desirable for people to have their stomach stapled, have plastic surgury, or replace a lost limb) then the floodgates will open. Who would you rather employ Bionic Steve Austin or a Robot? Didn't Steve always beat the robots?
For more on technological forecasting see books like Ray Kurzweils's "The Age of Spritual Machines"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0670 882178/102-0897603-8546540?vi=glance
Perhaps it's not the poor quality software so much as the marketshare of the target os? If you write a spambot for an OS with smaller marketshare, then you've already limited your possible penetration to the insecure boxes of a smaller base. If every Apple on the internet was insecure and infected would that be higher or lower than (let's say) 10% of Windows boxes on the internet?
Does this mark the beginning of the online Go parlors?
You keep one finger on the power switch.
Really Prof. Gee, did you have to provide scientific proof that my kids are better off playing Counterstrike instead of working on their history? Some help you are.
For every few $36 ink cartridges I can just add another monitor instead... Can't wait till the OLEDs come out cheap.
Hell, there have been car phones that respond to voice since 1986 at least. We used to have a GTE prototype. Gestures sound like a step backwards.
Treaty? We don't need no stinkin' treaties!
If anything I think such an agreement would detract from the education a student recieves. Part of the education process is to expose students to the myriad of choices and have them practice making decisions. Removing one of the options can only weaken their ability to make similar decisions once they are in the workforce and have to decide to go MS/nonMS for a given solution. How would you feel if MS made the opposite offer?
Having worked in a related industry and from having been shown in detail a distibutor's costs on selling CDs by the distibutor, I can assure you that the break even point for the distributor is usually less than $.50 . This is their cost for getting it to the customer after production, marketing and anything that goes to the artist.