It never really bothered me that these compression algorithms were patented.
It was a big breakthrough when algorithms like LZW, which compressed data that contained repeated multi-byte patterns (like text, or bitmap drawings), were developed. The previous state of the art was to pre-analyze the data and build a table that would have to be exchanged before the data could be decompressed (like Huffman encoding). LZW lets you built the table on-the-fly as the data is compressed, and exchange it on-the-fly as its being decoded (because the compression "table" and the data stream are actually the same.)
LZW does seem simple to us now; in fact one standard Job Interview question I ask is to put the LZW algorithm on the whiteboard! However, for those of use who have been around for more than 20 years, it was a significant breakthrough.
You may think that for something like a CAM-CORDER or PDA it would be worth it. Think again!
Very often, after 2 years, the "Insurance Company" that serviced the PSP will go "out of business" leaving you high and dry. This is a very typical scam. And if you read the fine print in the contract, you'll see that WorstBuy doesn't do the PSP, their "insurer" does.
And it's worse than that. These "insurance companies" are actually tax shelters for the rich (like the principals of Best Buy) so they don't have to pay any income taxes. (You can find something about these
here and an explanation of how you can use them not to pay taxes in the book "Perfectly Legal" (do an Amazon search).
...has "tighented" security by, among other things, setting the Windows policy so that shares can't be created.
The result? Now everyone walks around with a USB drive to move files around, or they email them to and from gmail, etc. (OR they use their iPods/Dell Pods, SonyPods)
So the system, overall, is a LOT less secure because all the company's assets are kicking around in email and USB thumb drives. But the folks in IT can cluck their tounges and think they did something useful.
On my Windows XP box! It's easy to do! There are cygwin installers for all of them. So there are equivalents in the "Windows Install" if you just visit cygwin.org
Most of the GNU stuff will also compile "Native" on Win32
Seriously, having programmed on both OS-X and Win XP extensively, the two operating systems are more alike than they are different. There's no fundamental difference in their architecture that would make one more secure over the other.
Gimp doesn't crash randomly when editing very large images
That's for sure! I'd really love to love GIMP, but I can't depend on it for mission-critical applications because of its instability (though Film GIMP is getting a bit better.)
If GIMP were as good as Photoshop Pro, it would go a long way to getting acceptance of the Free Unix variants on a desktop.
...you can run nearly all of the Linux software via CYGWIN.
For business, I run FreeBSD, Linux, and Windows XP. I've yet to find anything that I use that doesn't run on all three platforms just fine.
Via the Cygwin installer you can install most of what you get with a Linux distro. Other stuff that I use, like dvdauthor, ifo and vob editing tools, OpenVPN, etc, readily compile and run on Windows XP in addition to Linux and FreeBSD>
There's no reason for *anyone* not to feel "spoiled" by the large amounts of free, high-quality, software available!
In fact, we installed 10 workstations using this system on 5 PCs for a client of ours recently--replacing 10 old iMacs--to lower the TCO for a small call center.
Despite all our whining and moaning, (and the fact that this bug was the straw that broke the Camel's Back and I switched to mozilla and thunderbird) Microsoft did act pretty fast here. It was less than a week, wasn't it?
And, while it's unfortunate that many people don't (or can't) run Windows Update, it works well for people with fast connections who are behind firewalls so their systems don't get screwed up before they can patch them!
I can't imagine why Microsoft doesn't immediatly release a "patch" that resets the settings in IE to make it more secure.
I've switched to Firefox (and Thunderbird!), but it seems to me that it's possible to go into IE preferences, disable cross-domain frames, JavaScript, and ActiveX controls, and come up with something that's pretty safe, and roughly comparable to Mozilla.
I'm a big Microsoft fan, but their reaction to these latest attacks against them has me confused.
It's about time for inventor of the portable music player! Starting with the first transitor
radios of the 50s and 60s, and continuing with the FM Walkman, the Cassette Walkman, the CD Walkman, and the MiniDisc Walkman, Sony has always been a pioneer in this business.
I think it's fair to say that Cupertino used their legendary "copy machines" on many of Sony's ideas!
I was mildly dissapointed in my Dell-Pod, not because it doesn't work well (it gets 2x the battery life of my iPod and was $100 cheper!), but because it wasn't very stylish! I suspect Sony will make something stylish and useful.
It puts my site up first for a search on "3D Photography"! I'n not 'til the 10th page on Google.
Google's getting attacked hard by "Search Engine Optimizers." There are many times I do a search and I see "junk" sites that consist of many pages of computer-generated text and "link farms". There are even a number of sites that copy content, like reviews, from Amazon, and just link back to Amazon with their ID in the link so they get a spiff. (Here'a an example
of such a site!
A little compeition to Google will help the industry develop better technology against search-engine spammers, and will give us a choice.
Slashdot Mirror
It was a big breakthrough when algorithms like LZW, which compressed data that contained repeated multi-byte patterns (like text, or bitmap drawings), were developed. The previous state of the art was to pre-analyze the data and build a table that would have to be exchanged before the data could be decompressed (like Huffman encoding). LZW lets you built the table on-the-fly as the data is compressed, and exchange it on-the-fly as its being decoded (because the compression "table" and the data stream are actually the same.)
LZW does seem simple to us now; in fact one standard Job Interview question I ask is to put the LZW algorithm on the whiteboard! However, for those of use who have been around for more than 20 years, it was a significant breakthrough.
And Andy's book is still great, after all these years.
[ raises hand ]
Very often, after 2 years, the "Insurance Company" that serviced the PSP will go "out of business" leaving you high and dry. This is a very typical scam. And if you read the fine print in the contract, you'll see that WorstBuy doesn't do the PSP, their "insurer" does.
And it's worse than that. These "insurance companies" are actually tax shelters for the rich (like the principals of Best Buy) so they don't have to pay any income taxes. (You can find something about these here and an explanation of how you can use them not to pay taxes in the book "Perfectly Legal" (do an Amazon search).
The result? Now everyone walks around with a USB drive to move files around, or they email them to and from gmail, etc. (OR they use their iPods/Dell Pods, SonyPods)
So the system, overall, is a LOT less secure because all the company's assets are kicking around in email and USB thumb drives. But the folks in IT can cluck their tounges and think they did something useful.
Because any of the software from their Macintoshes won't run of the office Windows network, this isn't a big problem.
That's a LOT of pr0n
Apache, bind, sendmail, rsync
On my Windows XP box! It's easy to do! There are cygwin installers for all of them. So there are equivalents in the "Windows Install" if you just visit cygwin.org
Most of the GNU stuff will also compile "Native" on Win32
Seriously, having programmed on both OS-X and Win XP extensively, the two operating systems are more alike than they are different. There's no fundamental difference in their architecture that would make one more secure over the other.
If *I* looked like that, I'm not sure I'd plaster my face all over the Internet!
I don't mean to be a troublemaker, but would you mind explaining this statement?
Microsoft makes a TON of software!
There's a directory here of their complete product line. 100s and 100s of products from Fortran compilers to map software.
That's for sure! I'd really love to love GIMP, but I can't depend on it for mission-critical applications because of its instability (though Film GIMP is getting a bit better.)
If GIMP were as good as Photoshop Pro, it would go a long way to getting acceptance of the Free Unix variants on a desktop.
For business, I run FreeBSD, Linux, and Windows XP. I've yet to find anything that I use that doesn't run on all three platforms just fine.
Via the Cygwin installer you can install most of what you get with a Linux distro. Other stuff that I use, like dvdauthor, ifo and vob editing tools, OpenVPN, etc, readily compile and run on Windows XP in addition to Linux and FreeBSD>
There's no reason for *anyone* not to feel "spoiled" by the large amounts of free, high-quality, software available!
In fact, we installed 10 workstations using this system on 5 PCs for a client of ours recently--replacing 10 old iMacs--to lower the TCO for a small call center.
It's been working great, no problems whatsoever.
It worked just fine. Funny how everything old is new again.
I put a screenshot of it here
It's funny, because /. is the only site I've seen so far that has any sort of a problem with Mozilla! You'd think that /. would look best with it.
As an aside, Thunderbird is *MUCH* better than Outlook for POP email. I'm sorry it took so long for me to switch.
And, while it's unfortunate that many people don't (or can't) run Windows Update, it works well for people with fast connections who are behind firewalls so their systems don't get screwed up before they can patch them!
I've switched to Firefox (and Thunderbird!), but it seems to me that it's possible to go into IE preferences, disable cross-domain frames, JavaScript, and ActiveX controls, and come up with something that's pretty safe, and roughly comparable to Mozilla.
I'm a big Microsoft fan, but their reaction to these latest attacks against them has me confused.
Of course it is! And I'm having a great time reading all the Apple Apoligists here talking about how this is a Good Thing!
You also may be interested in the fact that Apple computer also has a LOT of patents! Some of them are for seemingly silly things, too.
Well, *I'm* glad I put my entire collection into Windows Media Format! (Seriously!)
I'll wait for the Bombardier M-EMACS!
I think it's fair to say that Cupertino used their legendary "copy machines" on many of Sony's ideas!
I was mildly dissapointed in my Dell-Pod, not because it doesn't work well (it gets 2x the battery life of my iPod and was $100 cheper!), but because it wasn't very stylish! I suspect Sony will make something stylish and useful.
Google's getting attacked hard by "Search Engine Optimizers." There are many times I do a search and I see "junk" sites that consist of many pages of computer-generated text and "link farms". There are even a number of sites that copy content, like reviews, from Amazon, and just link back to Amazon with their ID in the link so they get a spiff. (Here'a an example of such a site!
A little compeition to Google will help the industry develop better technology against search-engine spammers, and will give us a choice.