Unfortunately for Dell, the market for the gamer revolves around the potential for business from the uninformed gamer. Every gamer I know (and indeed, myself) builds their own system for the fraction of the cost of buying an Alienware or a Dell that has the same specs. Indeed, as often as hardcore gamers upgrade their systems, none of these manufacturers can hope to provide the kind of support I'd need to make it worth my while. Perhaps if they offered free hardware upgrades for two years, I could see spending an extra 500-1500 dollars for the same exact system that I could build by surfing Pricewatch.com.
I've been following this for a while, and until now I haven't said much, instead I've had the thought that since they own the copyright, it's their right to ask the FCC to do this. Until now.
The FCC and other regulatory commissions are there to two do things, the first being make sure that the public interest is taken care of (since they are a by-product of a democratic republic), and the second is otherwise regulate until #1 is met. In this end, they regulate the airwaves, but they've never regulated the technology, only what it can do. For example, you can't make a remote control that operates on the same frequency as other products, and you can't show a nipple on television. What you are allowed to do, however, is to record music and television shows for private use (not public use). Where Disney and other companies miss the mark is that they believe that their customers are inherently bad, and to that end, they should prevent people from taking away from their business venue, and they sincerely believe that they are right by asking the FCC to stop allowing devices to record broadcasts. Disney and other companies must work within the established guidelines set out by the FCC, and what we are witnessing is their attempts to change that landscape to maximize their profits, and minimize piracy. Unfortunatly when they do that, they minimize fair use rights.
Unfortunatly, the unknowing average citizen believes that since they have nothing to hide, they shouldn't have a problem giving a policeman their identification. This in turns allow the powers that be to further ask for other information, such as, "What are you doing around here", and "Where are you going?" These in of themselves are rather harmless questions, but if we aren't careful, we can recreate Nazi Germany rather quickly. The ability to move about anonymously and not have to be on the defensive about who and where we are are inherent rights, and I can't see legal justification for making the innocent prove who they are and the guilty (or in this case, suspected of another crime) get away with not having to identify themselves. We are supposed to a people that believe in 'innocent until proven guilty', and not 'give in to everything the government wants' because its supposedly 'for our own good'.
A North Carolina county prosecutor charged a man accused of running a methamphetamine lab with breaking a
new state law barring the manufacture of chemical weapons. If convicted, Martin Dwayne Miller could get 12 years to life in prison for a crime that usually brings about six months.
In the zeal of one of the commenters (finding a comment on Slashdot is like finding a needle in a stack of needles), he blamed said legislation on the Patriot Act, and not on the State government's reactions to the Patriot Act. Those are subtle differences, but very important for the common citizen. We may or may not have much say in the National scheme of things (The DoJ will do what they do until they are stopped by the courts) but state-wise the average joe has alot more say in matters, so long as they actually take part in Goverment. You would be surprised what you can do when you get a mass mailing to your State Assembly (in North Carolina's case) about something.
Being a college student at a small private college you wouldn't think that Microsoft's grasp would reach this far -- think again. In our Computer Information Systems department, we get a discounted rate for the MSDN alliance, which in turn gives me the oppurtunity to code in Visual Studio.NET for free -- the same as any linux alternative. Secondly, with this much exposure to the Windows way of doing things (e.g. the campus is entirely wired in windows, and the internships involve Windows-based solutions) we can't help but to use Microsoft solutions in everything we study. CIS itself is about Concepts, but at the end of the day, students will end up using what they are brought up around, and like it or not, Microsoft has that ability as a corporation. This isn't something you see from Linux -- not until the Desktop medium breaksthrough, then your Red Hats, SCOs and other Linux Corporations will start to try to win college campus' back over -- they must, if they want to gain acceptance for the 60,000+ graduates each year.
What's wrong with Python? Nothing at all. However, its far easier to code websites with PHP than Python, given that just 2 weeks after putting my hands on the language, I have a fully function website waiting to be launched, complete with MySQL/PHP backend, sporting many different types of search/user preference functions. I'm not an experience programmer by any means, but when a language is easy to learn and very functional, not to mention quite portable, it should be advertised more. Python lacks any sort of devoted following by mainstream programmers, who would rather use Perl/CGI, or PHP for web programming, due to both lending themselves to years of proven use. Your objection is simply based on you liking Python more, while there's no clear indication of why its better than PHP for web programming.
You clearly have not tried Mozilla's firebird browser. It is a lightweight version of Mozilla 1.4, and is much faster than IE, not to mention more secure. IE is bloated -- and the full extent of its bloat isn't known because of its integration with the Windows OS. To give you an Idea, IE has a footprint of 13,000+ Kilobytes in System memory, while Firebird (with 8 Tabb'd windows) only has 3,700 Kb of RAM as a footprint.
Excellent point. The regulations for a Tethered balloon are:
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, no person
may operate a moored balloon or kite-
(1) Less than 500 feet from the base of any cloud;
(2) More than 500 feet above the surface of the earth;
(3) From an area where the ground visibility is less than three
miles; or
(4) Within five miles of the boundary of any airport.
(b) Paragraph (a) of this section does not apply to the operation
of a balloon or kite below the top of any structure and within 250
feet of it, if that shielded operation does not obscure any
lighting on the structure.
This regulation is even worse, due to the limitation of 500 feet above ground. Again, thanks to Google and to these guys.
No person may operate an unmanned free balloon-
(a) Unless otherwise authorized by ATC, in a control zone below
2,000 feet above the surface, or in an airport traffic area;
(b) At any altitude where there are clouds or obscuring phenomena
of more than five-tenths coverage;
(c) At any altitude below 60,000 feet standard pressure altitude
where the horizontal visibility is less than five miles;
(d) During the first 1,000 feet of ascent, over a congested area of
a city, town, or settlement or an open-air assembly of persons not
associated with the operation; or
(e) In such a manner that impact of the balloon, or part thereof
including its payload, with the surface creates a hazard to persons
or property not associated with the operation.
In english, it basically means that you are out of luck trying to get camera footage of anything if there is so much as a cloud in the sky.
1. Fill out a 'right to peaceably assemble' permit, specifying the date, time, number of people expected, and reason for assembling.
2. Request where you'd like to peaceably assemble, keeping in mind that your local goverment may move you on a whim (Democratic National Convention, 2000).
3. Bribe 50 or so local officers so that you are not arrested for 'obstructing a sidewalk' (a la the protesters in NYC against the War in Iraq).
4. Finally, do not allow anyone to shout during said demonstration, otherwise police in riot gear that were 'hanging around' may find a reason to bust up your assembly.
Hayon sensors used in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle are very susceptible to camera flashes -- in fact, when I was out at NTC a month ago, a poor guy actually set off the Hayon system by said flash. The model used in the BFV is similar to the civilian model -- and part of the Hayon detection system is watching for a 'flash' of bright light. My recommendation is if you decide to get a halon system, get one that can be set off manually, and use it in conjunction with a smoke alarm when you are in the house.
Windows has kept essentially the same for the past few years, minus a few "enhancements" (a.k.a. extra features not many people need).
Wrong. Windows2000 has many enhancements to the NT Kernal built into it, and WindowsXP takes the NT kernal and gives it a place on the desktop. The differences between Windows98 and WindowsXP are much more noticable than the differences between Redhat, Mandrake, and Caldera -- at least on a desktop/stability level. To Joe Computer User, They really want stability -- and ease of use, something Microsoft has started to provide with XP, its a step in the right direction towards a real operating system, and they are taking it to keep the Joe User happy. These extra 'features' are what they have to tout to the every day Joe User. Imagine them marketing System uptime as a feature, or how about Multi-threading? That doesn't work in the business world, because no one cares about that except pointy-headed geeks and money filled business men -- the former doesn't want Microsoft, but the latter will take anything, as long as its easy to use and has support.
This facilitates people turning their heads towards more customizeable software, where a kernel can be compiled for any given specific purpose, and only the required software runs.
I've dabbled into linux before, and I do have an extra box with a Debian Distro sitting on top of it, but I still don't know how to Compile a kernel -- and I have yet to have a use for it. In fact, I don't think I've ever needed to get under the hood of a Linux Distro -- why? Because I'm an average user, I have no need for that -- and neither does 95% of the Desktop community.
Slashdot Mirror
Unfortunately for Dell, the market for the gamer revolves around the potential for business from the uninformed gamer. Every gamer I know (and indeed, myself) builds their own system for the fraction of the cost of buying an Alienware or a Dell that has the same specs. Indeed, as often as hardcore gamers upgrade their systems, none of these manufacturers can hope to provide the kind of support I'd need to make it worth my while. Perhaps if they offered free hardware upgrades for two years, I could see spending an extra 500-1500 dollars for the same exact system that I could build by surfing Pricewatch.com.
I've been following this for a while, and until now I haven't said much, instead I've had the thought that since they own the copyright, it's their right to ask the FCC to do this. Until now.
The FCC and other regulatory commissions are there to two do things, the first being make sure that the public interest is taken care of (since they are a by-product of a democratic republic), and the second is otherwise regulate until #1 is met. In this end, they regulate the airwaves, but they've never regulated the technology, only what it can do. For example, you can't make a remote control that operates on the same frequency as other products, and you can't show a nipple on television. What you are allowed to do, however, is to record music and television shows for private use (not public use). Where Disney and other companies miss the mark is that they believe that their customers are inherently bad, and to that end, they should prevent people from taking away from their business venue, and they sincerely believe that they are right by asking the FCC to stop allowing devices to record broadcasts. Disney and other companies must work within the established guidelines set out by the FCC, and what we are witnessing is their attempts to change that landscape to maximize their profits, and minimize piracy. Unfortunatly when they do that, they minimize fair use rights.
Unfortunatly, the unknowing average citizen believes that since they have nothing to hide, they shouldn't have a problem giving a policeman their identification. This in turns allow the powers that be to further ask for other information, such as, "What are you doing around here", and "Where are you going?" These in of themselves are rather harmless questions, but if we aren't careful, we can recreate Nazi Germany rather quickly. The ability to move about anonymously and not have to be on the defensive about who and where we are are inherent rights, and I can't see legal justification for making the innocent prove who they are and the guilty (or in this case, suspected of another crime) get away with not having to identify themselves. We are supposed to a people that believe in 'innocent until proven guilty', and not 'give in to everything the government wants' because its supposedly 'for our own good'.
That isn't true at all. My PC runs a 60 Gigabyte Hard Drive that was formatted as such as FAT32 (a 20 gig partition, and a 40 gig partition.)
Being a college student at a small private college you wouldn't think that Microsoft's grasp would reach this far -- think again. In our Computer Information Systems department, we get a discounted rate for the MSDN alliance, which in turn gives me the oppurtunity to code in Visual Studio.NET for free -- the same as any linux alternative. Secondly, with this much exposure to the Windows way of doing things (e.g. the campus is entirely wired in windows, and the internships involve Windows-based solutions) we can't help but to use Microsoft solutions in everything we study. CIS itself is about Concepts, but at the end of the day, students will end up using what they are brought up around, and like it or not, Microsoft has that ability as a corporation. This isn't something you see from Linux -- not until the Desktop medium breaksthrough, then your Red Hats, SCOs and other Linux Corporations will start to try to win college campus' back over -- they must, if they want to gain acceptance for the 60,000+ graduates each year.
What's wrong with Python? Nothing at all. However, its far easier to code websites with PHP than Python, given that just 2 weeks after putting my hands on the language, I have a fully function website waiting to be launched, complete with MySQL/PHP backend, sporting many different types of search/user preference functions. I'm not an experience programmer by any means, but when a language is easy to learn and very functional, not to mention quite portable, it should be advertised more. Python lacks any sort of devoted following by mainstream programmers, who would rather use Perl/CGI, or PHP for web programming, due to both lending themselves to years of proven use. Your objection is simply based on you liking Python more, while there's no clear indication of why its better than PHP for web programming.
You clearly have not tried Mozilla's firebird browser. It is a lightweight version of Mozilla 1.4, and is much faster than IE, not to mention more secure. IE is bloated -- and the full extent of its bloat isn't known because of its integration with the Windows OS. To give you an Idea, IE has a footprint of 13,000+ Kilobytes in System memory, while Firebird (with 8 Tabb'd windows) only has 3,700 Kb of RAM as a footprint.
It reads as follows:In english, it basically means that you are out of luck trying to get camera footage of anything if there is so much as a cloud in the sky.
1. Fill out a 'right to peaceably assemble' permit, specifying the date, time, number of people expected, and reason for assembling. 2. Request where you'd like to peaceably assemble, keeping in mind that your local goverment may move you on a whim (Democratic National Convention, 2000). 3. Bribe 50 or so local officers so that you are not arrested for 'obstructing a sidewalk' (a la the protesters in NYC against the War in Iraq). 4. Finally, do not allow anyone to shout during said demonstration, otherwise police in riot gear that were 'hanging around' may find a reason to bust up your assembly.
Hayon sensors used in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle are very susceptible to camera flashes -- in fact, when I was out at NTC a month ago, a poor guy actually set off the Hayon system by said flash. The model used in the BFV is similar to the civilian model -- and part of the Hayon detection system is watching for a 'flash' of bright light. My recommendation is if you decide to get a halon system, get one that can be set off manually, and use it in conjunction with a smoke alarm when you are in the house.
I Hardly know her.
Laws are only as good as their enforcement.