I don't think anyone (at least I certainly) is or was implying that all, most, or even many police officers act like that! But if we are not willing to jump all over this type of unacceptable behavior, and assert our rights, there would be a lot more tragedy like this. And it doesn't take a whole lot of bad apples to spoil the bunch.
There is a prevailing culture of demanding more and more safety at the expense of more and more freedom, and it has been growing steadily over the years. Although there would anarchy without those willing to enforce order and justice, there can be no freedom with the expectation of extreme safety. Generally, the two are diametrically opposed.
>"Why does everyone have to bring up the Constitution in cases like this??"
Oh let's see:
Freedom of assembly Freedom of press Freedom from unreasonable search or seizure Right to due process Freedom from unusual punishment
Stuff like that seems to apply in such cases, even if it is also covered by other laws that protect from police brutality or destruction of private property. ALL our rights spring from the Constitution.
Yet another example of a government agent stomping on the Constitution. What type of country has this become? One where the government can track, monitor, record, and harass citizens, yet citizens can't even record a public event without being treated as terrorists. Just disgusting.
Now they should sue and we can all pay for it with an ever increasing tax burden.
>"$20 cell phone holsters and chargers probably do a better job of that for them than odd $1 electronic components"
Yeah, but RS doesn't SELL any "$1 components". They sell $3+ components. So not only is the selection of components poor (which has been my chief complaint over the last 20 years) but they charge a huge premium for everything.
One strategy they should use would be to have at least ONE store in each market zone that is dedicated to nothing but components and located in a lower-rent (non-mall/strip) area. There are probably 20 RS stores here, within reasonable driving distance...
It is interesting to read testimonials about those who HAVE used Mono for something productive. But, like you, I question the validity of comments made by "Anonymous Cowards" who also resort to swearing and personal attacks. Fortunately, there are other comments that are valid retorts to my posting and are not made by cowards and are more convincing.
But yes, I still think it is a possible trap. Like I said in other postings, I don't question the technical merits of.NET/C#/Mono as much as the motivation and company behind it. At any time a new version can come out that will horribly break compatibility with Mono and in ways it can't hope to recover from. I have observed decades of very bad behavior by it's creator, and it will take quite a while before I believe they are "reformed".
It is interesting to read the various feedback from people, such as yourself, that have used Mono productively and for purposes that help instead of hurt platforms other than MS-Windows. Thanks for sharing the info.
I am not trying to imply that C# is not a good language. I am sorry if my comments sounds as such. It probably is just fine. I have heard/read things that support just what you said. And I would hate to see any project that benefits Open Source platforms suffer. My objections have a lot more to do with the source of C#, patents, past history with that company and what they do, etc. And also what distraction C#/mono could be in siphoning away mindshare or resources from historically more open and more cross-platform environments.
I will admit that I based my comments from impressions of what I read over the last few years about things it couldn't do then and things it would never be able to do. There appeared to be a lot more about getting an app to work cross-platform than just the base libraries.
I can't site a source, and I am not a mono or.NET programmer, so I will shut up and let other people analyze it.
In a way that lags so far behind current versions and with limitations to make it unsuitable for just about anything useful. I am not shedding that many tears. It was a dangerous road to begin with (patents, not completely open, etc), and it is a shame those resources were not directed to something that would have truly benefited Linux and other Open Source platforms.
In any case, I am sure development will continue in some way. But without those resources, it will just continue to slip further and further behind.
Nonsense. If you follow the rules, the application will work on all phones running the same version of the OS and most phones running a close version. The emulator allows you to try the app on different resolutions, CPU speeds, etc.
Indeed. But with Android development, it doesn't MATTER which platform you have because it will work with Linux, MS-Windows, and MacOS. So let's review:
Android development: Most any platform. So you don't have to buy anything, what you already have will very likely work.
I still agree with much of what you are saying. But I don't think comparing the first Android phone to the first real Android tablet is the same thing. Why? Because Android is not new anymore.
I don't disagree with what you said, and you have some good points. But we are talking about 2011, not 2009. The Xoom was really my specific topic, and that device is very much backed by Google, so I doubt it will be abandoned in any way.
Oh, no doubt. I agree with what you are saying. There are some pretty pitiful/shameful low-end Android stuff out there. But even subtracting the crappy model phones, it won't be long before just the higher-end Android phones will dominate. It is pretty much unavoidable at this point. There is a huge mindshare and lots of companies behind Android now. Consumers are getting what they want- great options, lots of choice, lots of apps, good experience, lower pricing, no vendor lockin, and carrier choice (and for geeks and developers: Open Source). It is a recipe for success in the mobile market.
As for the moving to Blackberry option??!! LOL! They have already lost the "war", been knocked out of first place, their stock is plummeting, and I don't think they will have more than a 20% market share by the end of the year. Let's review: much less choice, vendor lockin, higher pricing, many less apps, so-so or just "ok" experience, closed platform. Not a pretty picture.
And yet I still predict Apple will do OK, even with a much reduced share of the pie... the pie is growing. And we still have to watch for Microsoft/Nokia. I doubt they will gain all that much, but we shall see.
>"unlike the iPhone and iPad for which Apple will provide a couple years of support(my 3 is still getting updates), there is no way to know if the real Honeycomb is going to run on it"
Unlike the iPad, there is a fully vendor-supported unlock on the Xoom and an underground which happily takes the open-sourced Android (of which iOS is not) and will provide updates for years to come. So there *is* significant support for most Android devices EVEN if the manufacturer drops the ball. It is extremely unlikely a Xoom owner will have a "boat anchor".
Similar situation for lots of Android phones, too. Many older, discontinued, and "abandoned" Android phones are being updated to Froyo or even Gingerbread, regularly.
Don't get me wrong, there are some advantages to having just one hardware/OS vendor for your device (like Apple), but there are a lot of advantages to an open market on hardware and open source on the OS....
The Xoom was not half-baked. It was more like 95% baked, which is a lot more than half. But it WAS rushed to market.. The only thing not working on the Xoom on delivery was SD card and Flash. And Flash is/was totally outside of Motorola's control, and has already been available now for a while. The SD patch is coming, although I can't figure out why it is taking so long on that.
The only thing truly disappointing on the Xoom is that the price is just too high, it needed to be at least $50 less than the iPad, not the same price. I am guessing it will drop in price, now that other Android 3.0 tablets are being released, however.
Just a few clarifications to your posting (and I do agree that the other misc, non-3.0 Android tablets are no competition to the iPad lineup):
*The Xoom is not slower than the iPad in CPU, only in GPU, and that doesn't matter all THAT much for the overall experience unless you only plan to play high-end games (and I postulate that is not the primary target audience). As for "otherwise", I don't see it.
*Yes, they are the same price right now, but you can bet the Xoom price will drop while the iPad probably won't. And we are only talking about the Xoom at the moment- other tablets with similar hardware will be out extremely soon at already considerably lower pricing (EEE for example will be 25% less than an iPad 2)
*Video "compatibility" is just a function of the new 3.0 OS, that will probably change soon.
*The battery life is not worse, and they have similar capacity also.
-SD card not working is just a software issue, again with the new 3.0 OS and that is also going to start working soon.
Meanwhile the Xoom has: -A bigger screen (10.1" vs 9.7") -A much higher resolution screen (1280x800 vs 1024x768) -A standard USB port (Ipad is 30 pin only) -A standard HDMI port (Ipad is 30 pin only) -No forced use of iTunes (which means Linux is a go) -Approved side-loading -Additional marketplaces for apps (although a lower total number of apps and certainly tablet-specific, for now) -Widescreen, which is much better for modern video (16:10 vs 4:3) -Higher resolution cameras (5Mp vs. 0.92Mp) -Twice as much RAM (1GB vs 512MB) -More sensors (+magnetometer, +barometer) -SD card slot for increased storage and transfer (after patch) -Flash video/web support (which means a lot more to a lot of people than Apple would care to admit) -Stereo speakers, not just mono like the iPad's -Camera flash and dual at that (ipad 2 has no camera flash at all) -Wifi-only Xoom has GPS, Wifi-only Ipad 2 has NONE! -Unlocking mode- no hack required to "root" or re-image -Slightly smaller outside dimensions (L x W) by 5%
So MY conclusion is that for the same price, the Xoom has quite a few advantages, but is a little heavier, slightly thicker, a GPU that is slower but acceptable, and maybe a little less viewing angle. I think it will do OK, but I also think the coming Android 3.0 tablets will be a HUGE draw.
>"They are quickly cutting in to the iPhones marketshare and are predicted by a number of people to be the top by a long margin in a few years."
Android hasn't just "quickly cut" into the iPhone (ios) market share, it has already SURPASSED the iPhone market share and is zooming ahead more rapidly every month.
Real Android tablets have only just now arrived to market. I don't expect them to have hardly any market share for the first several months- but like you said, let's see what happens in a year or two. That is all it took for Android to dominate not just over iOS phones, but over ALL other phone operating systems. I do think Android will have a harder time unseating iPads.
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I don't think anyone (at least I certainly) is or was implying that all, most, or even many police officers act like that! But if we are not willing to jump all over this type of unacceptable behavior, and assert our rights, there would be a lot more tragedy like this. And it doesn't take a whole lot of bad apples to spoil the bunch.
There is a prevailing culture of demanding more and more safety at the expense of more and more freedom, and it has been growing steadily over the years. Although there would anarchy without those willing to enforce order and justice, there can be no freedom with the expectation of extreme safety. Generally, the two are diametrically opposed.
Another something to note- all States have a State Constitution. They also tend to also include their own versions of a bill of rights.
For example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Virginia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Declaration_of_Rights
LOL! Um, the Bill of Rights *is* part of the Constitution. It is the very first set of Amendments. Perhaps you should visit Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution
That is a good question. But even if they are better, that doesn't make anything like this less disgusting and wrong.
>"Why does everyone have to bring up the Constitution in cases like this??"
Oh let's see:
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of press
Freedom from unreasonable search or seizure
Right to due process
Freedom from unusual punishment
Stuff like that seems to apply in such cases, even if it is also covered by other laws that protect from police brutality or destruction of private property. ALL our rights spring from the Constitution.
Yet another example of a government agent stomping on the Constitution. What type of country has this become? One where the government can track, monitor, record, and harass citizens, yet citizens can't even record a public event without being treated as terrorists. Just disgusting.
Now they should sue and we can all pay for it with an ever increasing tax burden.
>"$20 cell phone holsters and chargers probably do a better job of that for them than odd $1 electronic components"
Yeah, but RS doesn't SELL any "$1 components". They sell $3+ components. So not only is the selection of components poor (which has been my chief complaint over the last 20 years) but they charge a huge premium for everything.
One strategy they should use would be to have at least ONE store in each market zone that is dedicated to nothing but components and located in a lower-rent (non-mall/strip) area. There are probably 20 RS stores here, within reasonable driving distance...
Well, at least it requires a COURT ORDER, instead of just letting some department do whatever the hell they want.
But it still sounds ripe for abuse, and confusion, and possibly being expensive to implement and maintain.
And exactly what hardware, operating system, and client software are to be required for such a system of "streaming movies" to work?
MS-Windows XP laptop?
Xoom tablet?
Linux notebook?
iPad?
Android phone?
Next, I want to see some bubble memory- remember that? I bet the controller would be much more complicated.
Wordperfect (in both GUI and text version) was also available for Unix and Linux too (until it stopped at 8). Something that MS-Word never was.
We STILL use WordPerect 8 under Linux today although it is mostly for legacy- we have moved most everything to OpenOffice.
In many ways, WordPerfect still is better than MS-Word and OpenOffice Writer.
It is interesting to read testimonials about those who HAVE used Mono for something productive. But, like you, I question the validity of comments made by "Anonymous Cowards" who also resort to swearing and personal attacks. Fortunately, there are other comments that are valid retorts to my posting and are not made by cowards and are more convincing.
But yes, I still think it is a possible trap. Like I said in other postings, I don't question the technical merits of .NET/C#/Mono as much as the motivation and company behind it. At any time a new version can come out that will horribly break compatibility with Mono and in ways it can't hope to recover from. I have observed decades of very bad behavior by it's creator, and it will take quite a while before I believe they are "reformed".
It is interesting to read the various feedback from people, such as yourself, that have used Mono productively and for purposes that help instead of hurt platforms other than MS-Windows. Thanks for sharing the info.
I am not trying to imply that C# is not a good language. I am sorry if my comments sounds as such. It probably is just fine. I have heard/read things that support just what you said. And I would hate to see any project that benefits Open Source platforms suffer. My objections have a lot more to do with the source of C#, patents, past history with that company and what they do, etc. And also what distraction C#/mono could be in siphoning away mindshare or resources from historically more open and more cross-platform environments.
I will admit that I based my comments from impressions of what I read over the last few years about things it couldn't do then and things it would never be able to do. There appeared to be a lot more about getting an app to work cross-platform than just the base libraries.
I can't site a source, and I am not a mono or .NET programmer, so I will shut up and let other people analyze it.
>"Mono brings .NET to Linux,"
In a way that lags so far behind current versions and with limitations to make it unsuitable for just about anything useful. I am not shedding that many tears. It was a dangerous road to begin with (patents, not completely open, etc), and it is a shame those resources were not directed to something that would have truly benefited Linux and other Open Source platforms.
In any case, I am sure development will continue in some way. But without those resources, it will just continue to slip further and further behind.
Nonsense. If you follow the rules, the application will work on all phones running the same version of the OS and most phones running a close version. The emulator allows you to try the app on different resolutions, CPU speeds, etc.
Indeed. But with Android development, it doesn't MATTER which platform you have because it will work with Linux, MS-Windows, and MacOS. So let's review:
Android development: Most any platform. So you don't have to buy anything, what you already have will very likely work.
Windows development: MS-Windows machine only
iOS development: MacOS machine only
I still agree with much of what you are saying. But I don't think comparing the first Android phone to the first real Android tablet is the same thing. Why? Because Android is not new anymore.
I don't disagree with what you said, and you have some good points. But we are talking about 2011, not 2009. The Xoom was really my specific topic, and that device is very much backed by Google, so I doubt it will be abandoned in any way.
Oh, no doubt. I agree with what you are saying. There are some pretty pitiful/shameful low-end Android stuff out there. But even subtracting the crappy model phones, it won't be long before just the higher-end Android phones will dominate. It is pretty much unavoidable at this point. There is a huge mindshare and lots of companies behind Android now. Consumers are getting what they want- great options, lots of choice, lots of apps, good experience, lower pricing, no vendor lockin, and carrier choice (and for geeks and developers: Open Source). It is a recipe for success in the mobile market.
As for the moving to Blackberry option??!! LOL! They have already lost the "war", been knocked out of first place, their stock is plummeting, and I don't think they will have more than a 20% market share by the end of the year. Let's review: much less choice, vendor lockin, higher pricing, many less apps, so-so or just "ok" experience, closed platform. Not a pretty picture.
And yet I still predict Apple will do OK, even with a much reduced share of the pie... the pie is growing. And we still have to watch for Microsoft/Nokia. I doubt they will gain all that much, but we shall see.
>"unlike the iPhone and iPad for which Apple will provide a couple years of support(my 3 is still getting updates), there is no way to know if the real Honeycomb is going to run on it"
Unlike the iPad, there is a fully vendor-supported unlock on the Xoom and an underground which happily takes the open-sourced Android (of which iOS is not) and will provide updates for years to come. So there *is* significant support for most Android devices EVEN if the manufacturer drops the ball. It is extremely unlikely a Xoom owner will have a "boat anchor".
Similar situation for lots of Android phones, too. Many older, discontinued, and "abandoned" Android phones are being updated to Froyo or even Gingerbread, regularly.
Don't get me wrong, there are some advantages to having just one hardware/OS vendor for your device (like Apple), but there are a lot of advantages to an open market on hardware and open source on the OS....
The Xoom was not half-baked. It was more like 95% baked, which is a lot more than half. But it WAS rushed to market.. The only thing not working on the Xoom on delivery was SD card and Flash. And Flash is/was totally outside of Motorola's control, and has already been available now for a while. The SD patch is coming, although I can't figure out why it is taking so long on that.
The only thing truly disappointing on the Xoom is that the price is just too high, it needed to be at least $50 less than the iPad, not the same price. I am guessing it will drop in price, now that other Android 3.0 tablets are being released, however.
Otherwise, it is a perfectly fine tablet.
Just a few clarifications to your posting (and I do agree that the other misc, non-3.0 Android tablets are no competition to the iPad lineup):
*The Xoom is not slower than the iPad in CPU, only in GPU, and that doesn't matter all THAT much for the overall experience unless you only plan to play high-end games (and I postulate that is not the primary target audience). As for "otherwise", I don't see it.
*Yes, they are the same price right now, but you can bet the Xoom price will drop while the iPad probably won't. And we are only talking about the Xoom at the moment- other tablets with similar hardware will be out extremely soon at already considerably lower pricing (EEE for example will be 25% less than an iPad 2)
*Video "compatibility" is just a function of the new 3.0 OS, that will probably change soon.
*The battery life is not worse, and they have similar capacity also.
-SD card not working is just a software issue, again with the new 3.0 OS and that is also going to start working soon.
Meanwhile the Xoom has:
-A bigger screen (10.1" vs 9.7")
-A much higher resolution screen (1280x800 vs 1024x768)
-A standard USB port (Ipad is 30 pin only)
-A standard HDMI port (Ipad is 30 pin only)
-No forced use of iTunes (which means Linux is a go)
-Approved side-loading
-Additional marketplaces for apps (although a lower total number of apps and certainly tablet-specific, for now)
-Widescreen, which is much better for modern video (16:10 vs 4:3)
-Higher resolution cameras (5Mp vs. 0.92Mp)
-Twice as much RAM (1GB vs 512MB)
-More sensors (+magnetometer, +barometer)
-SD card slot for increased storage and transfer (after patch)
-Flash video/web support (which means a lot more to a lot of people than Apple would care to admit)
-Stereo speakers, not just mono like the iPad's
-Camera flash and dual at that (ipad 2 has no camera flash at all)
-Wifi-only Xoom has GPS, Wifi-only Ipad 2 has NONE!
-Unlocking mode- no hack required to "root" or re-image
-Slightly smaller outside dimensions (L x W) by 5%
So MY conclusion is that for the same price, the Xoom has quite a few advantages, but is a little heavier, slightly thicker, a GPU that is slower but acceptable, and maybe a little less viewing angle. I think it will do OK, but I also think the coming Android 3.0 tablets will be a HUGE draw.
>"They are quickly cutting in to the iPhones marketshare and are predicted by a number of people to be the top by a long margin in a few years."
Android hasn't just "quickly cut" into the iPhone (ios) market share, it has already SURPASSED the iPhone market share and is zooming ahead more rapidly every month.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/Android_number_one_in_us_smartphone_market_share.php
Real Android tablets have only just now arrived to market. I don't expect them to have hardly any market share for the first several months- but like you said, let's see what happens in a year or two. That is all it took for Android to dominate not just over iOS phones, but over ALL other phone operating systems. I do think Android will have a harder time unseating iPads.