It remains to be seen what level of RSS support will be included in MSIE 7.
At this point, Mozilla has no support for RSS. Firefox has Live Bookmarks, which is a very primitive interface to a subset of RSS functionality. You can get sidebar addons to support RSS, but RSS isn't properly supported out of the box.
Opera 8 supports RSS by transforming feed items to look like e-mail. I tried it, and didn't particularly like it. For one thing, it tries to map the XML fields into mail headers, and the mapping didn't always make sense. It also had some difficulty with the <description> elements -- I seem to recall that it didn't like HTML in them.
Safari RSS comes quite close to being usably good. It lacks a few features such as support for RSS syntax extension modules, refresh interval hinting or configurability, and filtering. Other than that, the interface experience is pleasant, as one would expect from Apple.
So, I think that if Mozilla/Firefox wants to stay one step ahead of MSIE 7, a good tactic to take would be to include awesome RSS support.
I agree with your reasoning. If Apple wanted to switch architectures, they would have gone with AMD64, not Intel. If there's one thing Intel excels in these days, it's their expertise in fabrication, not their architecture or design!
It's good to protect the newbies, but not when it unnecessarily cripples the product.
The problem with your argument is that the novice users would usually not be searching for the technical terms that would turn up results in the System of Library folders anyway. So most of the time it's a non-issue -- there's no need to protect them from anything. But on the rare occasion that they need to look for something on their system, it's not doing them a favor by hiding results that could be helpful and relevant. Putting the System and Library folders at the end of the search path should be sufficient to protect the novices without inconveniencing the power users.
So anyway, how is one supposed to find files on the hard disk by name, if not through Spotlight? Even the File->Find dialog of the Finder fails to turn up Kerberos.app when I search the whole Macintosh HD for "Kerberos"! How can I trust these tools if the results aren't complete?
I could drop into the command line and run the Unix "locate" command, but that just defeats the purpose of the fancy technology.
While I'm on the subject -- what's the deal with Sherlock? Does anyone use it? Apple should integrate it better with Safari and/or Spotlight, or get rid of it altogether. With Spotlight, Finder's File->Find, Safari's Google search box, and Sherlock, it's starting to get crufty and confusing. How would you quickly explain to a novice which tool to use to find stuff?
I find Spotlight useful as a sort of primitive command line. Use Cmd-Space, then enter the name of an application (e.g. "Firefox"), and the app is right there in the menu for you to click on. This is nice, since the traditional methods for launching apps suck (digging through the Applications folder is slow; putting everything in the dock adds clutter).
Unfortunately, it seems that the search path is limited, and I haven't figured out a way to change it. For example, typing "Kerberos" in the search box fails to locate the ticket manager, which is in/Library/CoreServices. You would think that with all this fancy technology, Spotlight would be able to do everything that the Unix "locate" command can handle, but apparently that is not the case. So, if anyone from Apple is watching this thread, I'd like to offer that as a request for enhancement!
Don't use the <b> tag; use <strong> instead. The difference is that <strong> puts emphasis on the meaning rather than the display. But for all practical purposes they'll be rendered the same in all browsers.
American Express was offering a "Private Payments" service, which dispensed disposable credit card numbers valid for one month. Cardmembers could obtain numbers by going to the Amex website or through a USB smart-card reader (hardward and software provided for free, with MS Windows integration). The website method worked just fine with Mozilla -- it was just HTML forms with a bit of JavaScript.
Sadly, Private Payments was discontinued two years ago. I suspect there were too many support issues in conjunction with recurring charges, product exchanges/refunds, etc.
I'll just search Google News and then reference the cache.
Google allows websites to opt out of caching through a META tag. The New York Times uses this feature. After a week or so, most articles on their website change into a one-paragraph teaser.
But it's not just a matter of being able to dial an emergency number. If that were the problem, you could just program the phone numbers of the local police and fire department on speed dial, or configure the VoIP dial plan. The tricky thing is, the operator needs to be able to automatically determine the location of the caller, in case the caller is too distressed to explain the situation (due to stroke, intruder attack, etc.).
Webstandards.org may have good intentions, but I'm not sure I trust their test or their organization. For one thing, someone has pointed out that the W3C's CSS validator rejects it. (This link currently slashdotted.)
Gecko renders part of the second row of the face at the right edge of the viewport. I believe that that is actually the correct behavior according to the specifications. Row 2 is generated by
<blockquote><address> </address></blockquote>
The blockquote is a block-level element with unspecified width, so except for the 60px left margin, it should occupy the entire width of the containing block (CSS 2.1, Sec 10.3.3). Therefore, the address element, which is floated to the right within the blockquote, is correctly placed at the right edge of the viewport. I don't see why the "shrink-to-fit" rule for computing the width of the blockquote should apply as they claim it does. There may be other errors, but I haven't investigated further.
When the W3C publishes a test, one can be pretty sure that it's authoritative. But who is behind webstandards.org? They claim to be a grassroots coalition, yet I don't see where on their website they invite site visitors to join or contribute to their cause.
Their explanation of the test lacks a contact address at the end to report errors. It seems rather careless of them to publish the test in that state, and it doesn't inspire confidence in the rest of the test.
It's good to see someone making an effort. I do hope that this test will help browsers improve, but I wouldn't trust that the test itself is 100% accurate, either. I would love to see the W3C devise more compliance tests of this sort.
Check out Subtext. At the moment, it seems to still be in the conceptual stages. Be sure to watch the interesting Flash demonstration. (However, the fact that it needs a movie to properly demonstrate the concept is itself an indicator of how cumbersome it is to deal with visual languages.)
That's interesting -- www.oregon.gov auto-negotiates the language over HTTP, and it shows up in French for me. Who would have guessed that there was a sizable French audience in Oregon?
If California assesses the tax based on the odometer reading alone, one could possibly argue that they were unconstitutionally impeding interstate commerce, since California-registered cars would also be taxed when driving out of state.
But the GPS workaround really sucks for its invasion to privacy. It's only a matter of time before insurance companies get their hands on the data and jack up your rates for driving in "high-risk zones".
Dammit, first IE doesn't support CSS properly, now this! Screw it, I'm going back to tables.
What are you talking about? Internet Explorer supports CSS perfectly. In fact, I'm pretty sure that there is no better implementation of the Content Scrambling System anywhere. Stop spreading FUD!
You can try to crack our encryption all you want. Microsoft Office(TM) documents are still the most secure format in the world, since you still won't be able to render them properly even if you manage to decrypt them.
A few years ago, maybe. But I wouldn't buy anything from the new HP anyway, given their recent reputation for the low quality of their products and service. This is just another symptom of their deeper problems.
I just hope that HP's brainfart doesn't start a trend among the other printer manufacturers.
As an American temporarily living in Europe, I'm so disappointed by this news on so many levels...
This makes moving more expensive. Some people do move between regions, you know. To add to the hassle of moving, now we'll have to junk otherwise good electronic equipment because of an artificially created restriction. Either that, or get all your ink shipped from overseas. (I'm pretty sure that if they put region-limiting electronics on the cartridge, they'll also have anti-refilling measures.)
Region incompatibilities are nothing new. I can deal with different plug shapes and voltages (plug adapters are available; the better equipment is self-switching, and you can buy replacement wall-warts for the rest). The TV, VCR, and DVD player are incompatible (unless you buy high-end multi-standard stuff) due to different video standards (e.g., NTSC vs. PAL, RCA vs. SCART connectors), but at least the DVDs themselves can be played on region-free players.
Anyway, I buy a few appliances and electronic equipment knowing that I won't be taking them home with me, but I'd buy more if they were usable worldwide.
This defeats the whole purpose of currency fluctuation.
The whole point of the falling dollar is to give the system a chance to equilibrate. US consumers are supposed to feel the pain of rising prices for foreign goods. Foreigners should buy more affordable American goods, to help balance the trade defecit. Americans should be feeling the consequences of their government's reckless spending, and this is throwing a wrench into the system.
HP is sinking ever deeper depths.
Years ago, I learned in school about HP's innovative way of cutting costs by reducing inventory risk. They designed their printer boxes so that the product could be differentiated at the very last minute simply by slipping the appropriate power supply through a hole in the box. Now they are reversing their gains by doing the exact opposite. It looks like the new HP prefers to screw their customers rather than run their business efficiently.
By the way, I bought an Epson C64 on sale. It's dual voltage, has parallel and USB inputs, and it's Linux compatible. The ink is expensive, though, even by inkjet standards.
Conservation of angular momentum, doncha know? The earth has sped up, in this case. It has gained angular momentum.
No. The law of conservation of angular momentum means that the angular momentum remains constant. The earthquake happened on earth, so no external torque was applied to the earth. The earth's rotation has sped up -- angular velocity has increased because the its effective radius has decreased, so the angular momentum is the same as before.
But we only recently got stable Cardbus support in Linux!
Seriously, using Linux has been good for my wallet. Not only do I save on software costs, I also reduce my spending on hardware because a lot of the more exotic gadgets aren't well supported.
Slashdot Mirror
It remains to be seen what level of RSS support will be included in MSIE 7.
At this point, Mozilla has no support for RSS. Firefox has Live Bookmarks, which is a very primitive interface to a subset of RSS functionality. You can get sidebar addons to support RSS, but RSS isn't properly supported out of the box.
Opera 8 supports RSS by transforming feed items to look like e-mail. I tried it, and didn't particularly like it. For one thing, it tries to map the XML fields into mail headers, and the mapping didn't always make sense. It also had some difficulty with the <description> elements -- I seem to recall that it didn't like HTML in them.
Safari RSS comes quite close to being usably good. It lacks a few features such as support for RSS syntax extension modules, refresh interval hinting or configurability, and filtering. Other than that, the interface experience is pleasant, as one would expect from Apple.
So, I think that if Mozilla/Firefox wants to stay one step ahead of MSIE 7, a good tactic to take would be to include awesome RSS support.
Not true. In Universal Binary Programming Guidelines, on page 14, it says:
I imagine that most code would be built using GCC, but those who need the performance can pay extra for the Intel compiler.
I agree with your reasoning. If Apple wanted to switch architectures, they would have gone with AMD64, not Intel. If there's one thing Intel excels in these days, it's their expertise in fabrication, not their architecture or design!
They've fixed this one already. On a modern Mac, when you drag a disk or disk image, the trash icon turns into an eject icon.
I got it! Now that Intel has a Microsoft exit strategy, it's making statements like this so that AMD is stuck holding the bag! Brilliant!
It's good to protect the newbies, but not when it unnecessarily cripples the product.
The problem with your argument is that the novice users would usually not be searching for the technical terms that would turn up results in the System of Library folders anyway. So most of the time it's a non-issue -- there's no need to protect them from anything. But on the rare occasion that they need to look for something on their system, it's not doing them a favor by hiding results that could be helpful and relevant. Putting the System and Library folders at the end of the search path should be sufficient to protect the novices without inconveniencing the power users.
So anyway, how is one supposed to find files on the hard disk by name, if not through Spotlight? Even the File->Find dialog of the Finder fails to turn up Kerberos.app when I search the whole Macintosh HD for "Kerberos"! How can I trust these tools if the results aren't complete?
I could drop into the command line and run the Unix "locate" command, but that just defeats the purpose of the fancy technology.
While I'm on the subject -- what's the deal with Sherlock? Does anyone use it? Apple should integrate it better with Safari and/or Spotlight, or get rid of it altogether. With Spotlight, Finder's File->Find, Safari's Google search box, and Sherlock, it's starting to get crufty and confusing. How would you quickly explain to a novice which tool to use to find stuff?
I find Spotlight useful as a sort of primitive command line. Use Cmd-Space, then enter the name of an application (e.g. "Firefox"), and the app is right there in the menu for you to click on. This is nice, since the traditional methods for launching apps suck (digging through the Applications folder is slow; putting everything in the dock adds clutter).
Unfortunately, it seems that the search path is limited, and I haven't figured out a way to change it. For example, typing "Kerberos" in the search box fails to locate the ticket manager, which is in /Library/CoreServices. You would think that with all this fancy technology, Spotlight would be able to do everything that the Unix "locate" command can handle, but apparently that is not the case. So, if anyone from Apple is watching this thread, I'd like to offer that as a request for enhancement!
Don't use the <b> tag; use <strong> instead. The difference is that <strong> puts emphasis on the meaning rather than the display. But for all practical purposes they'll be rendered the same in all browsers.
That wasn't so hard, was it now?
Simple workaround: use Mozilla!
American Express was offering a "Private Payments" service, which dispensed disposable credit card numbers valid for one month. Cardmembers could obtain numbers by going to the Amex website or through a USB smart-card reader (hardward and software provided for free, with MS Windows integration). The website method worked just fine with Mozilla -- it was just HTML forms with a bit of JavaScript.
Sadly, Private Payments was discontinued two years ago. I suspect there were too many support issues in conjunction with recurring charges, product exchanges/refunds, etc.
Google allows websites to opt out of caching through a META tag. The New York Times uses this feature. After a week or so, most articles on their website change into a one-paragraph teaser.
But it's not just a matter of being able to dial an emergency number. If that were the problem, you could just program the phone numbers of the local police and fire department on speed dial, or configure the VoIP dial plan. The tricky thing is, the operator needs to be able to automatically determine the location of the caller, in case the caller is too distressed to explain the situation (due to stroke, intruder attack, etc.).
Webstandards.org may have good intentions, but I'm not sure I trust their test or their organization. For one thing, someone has pointed out that the W3C's CSS validator rejects it. (This link currently slashdotted.)
Gecko renders part of the second row of the face at the right edge of the viewport. I believe that that is actually the correct behavior according to the specifications. Row 2 is generated by
The blockquote is a block-level element with unspecified width, so except for the 60px left margin, it should occupy the entire width of the containing block (CSS 2.1, Sec 10.3.3). Therefore, the address element, which is floated to the right within the blockquote, is correctly placed at the right edge of the viewport. I don't see why the "shrink-to-fit" rule for computing the width of the blockquote should apply as they claim it does. There may be other errors, but I haven't investigated further.
When the W3C publishes a test, one can be pretty sure that it's authoritative. But who is behind webstandards.org? They claim to be a grassroots coalition, yet I don't see where on their website they invite site visitors to join or contribute to their cause.
Their explanation of the test lacks a contact address at the end to report errors. It seems rather careless of them to publish the test in that state, and it doesn't inspire confidence in the rest of the test.
It's good to see someone making an effort. I do hope that this test will help browsers improve, but I wouldn't trust that the test itself is 100% accurate, either. I would love to see the W3C devise more compliance tests of this sort.
Check out Subtext. At the moment, it seems to still be in the conceptual stages. Be sure to watch the interesting Flash demonstration. (However, the fact that it needs a movie to properly demonstrate the concept is itself an indicator of how cumbersome it is to deal with visual languages.)
You can get the addressing standard and the worldwide database from the Universal Postal Union.
That's interesting -- www.oregon.gov auto-negotiates the language over HTTP, and it shows up in French for me. Who would have guessed that there was a sizable French audience in Oregon?
If California assesses the tax based on the odometer reading alone, one could possibly argue that they were unconstitutionally impeding interstate commerce, since California-registered cars would also be taxed when driving out of state.
But the GPS workaround really sucks for its invasion to privacy. It's only a matter of time before insurance companies get their hands on the data and jack up your rates for driving in "high-risk zones".
What are you talking about? Internet Explorer supports CSS perfectly. In fact, I'm pretty sure that there is no better implementation of the Content Scrambling System anywhere. Stop spreading FUD!
It's even simpler in PostgreSQL. In the psql client shell:
psql=# CREATE USER bar PASSWORD 'password';
psql=# CREATE DATABASE foo OWNER=bar;
Or, use the equivalent on the Unix shell:
# createuser --pwprompt bar
# createdb --owner=bar foo
All of the expected privileges are automatically granted on the foo database to user bar, since bar is its owner!
Yes, that offer still stands. Apparently, he has solved the micropayment problem.
Dear security researchers,
You can try to crack our encryption all you want. Microsoft Office(TM) documents are still the most secure format in the world, since you still won't be able to render them properly even if you manage to decrypt them.
Sincerely,
The Microsoft Corporation
A few years ago, maybe. But I wouldn't buy anything from the new HP anyway, given their recent reputation for the low quality of their products and service. This is just another symptom of their deeper problems.
I just hope that HP's brainfart doesn't start a trend among the other printer manufacturers.
As an American temporarily living in Europe, I'm so disappointed by this news on so many levels...
This makes moving more expensive. Some people do move between regions, you know. To add to the hassle of moving, now we'll have to junk otherwise good electronic equipment because of an artificially created restriction. Either that, or get all your ink shipped from overseas. (I'm pretty sure that if they put region-limiting electronics on the cartridge, they'll also have anti-refilling measures.)
Region incompatibilities are nothing new. I can deal with different plug shapes and voltages (plug adapters are available; the better equipment is self-switching, and you can buy replacement wall-warts for the rest). The TV, VCR, and DVD player are incompatible (unless you buy high-end multi-standard stuff) due to different video standards (e.g., NTSC vs. PAL, RCA vs. SCART connectors), but at least the DVDs themselves can be played on region-free players.
Anyway, I buy a few appliances and electronic equipment knowing that I won't be taking them home with me, but I'd buy more if they were usable worldwide.
This defeats the whole purpose of currency fluctuation. The whole point of the falling dollar is to give the system a chance to equilibrate. US consumers are supposed to feel the pain of rising prices for foreign goods. Foreigners should buy more affordable American goods, to help balance the trade defecit. Americans should be feeling the consequences of their government's reckless spending, and this is throwing a wrench into the system.
HP is sinking ever deeper depths. Years ago, I learned in school about HP's innovative way of cutting costs by reducing inventory risk. They designed their printer boxes so that the product could be differentiated at the very last minute simply by slipping the appropriate power supply through a hole in the box. Now they are reversing their gains by doing the exact opposite. It looks like the new HP prefers to screw their customers rather than run their business efficiently.
By the way, I bought an Epson C64 on sale. It's dual voltage, has parallel and USB inputs, and it's Linux compatible. The ink is expensive, though, even by inkjet standards.
No. The law of conservation of angular momentum means that the angular momentum remains constant. The earthquake happened on earth, so no external torque was applied to the earth. The earth's rotation has sped up -- angular velocity has increased because the its effective radius has decreased, so the angular momentum is the same as before.
But we only recently got stable Cardbus support in Linux!
Seriously, using Linux has been good for my wallet. Not only do I save on software costs, I also reduce my spending on hardware because a lot of the more exotic gadgets aren't well supported.