For me, my favourite Dune books are the Dune and the God Emperor of Dune. This last one is such an amazing book, rich with philosophy and politics.
My least favourite ones are Heretics of Dune and Children of Dune. They are too boring.
The new books are crap but they do a good job a describing the Dune universe and telling how the story continues.
Just look at iTunes. You buy DRM protected songs that can only be played on your computer and your iPod. If you buy a CD, you pay an average of 30c per song in royalties, while in iTunes you pay 70c in royaties. What do you get? A lossy compressed song that is crippled by DRM. Besides that, you are actually paying for the DRM you are using. You pay the licensing fees for the fairplay system.
DRM creates monopolies and it only benefits large companies. Just the other day, there was a report on the SONY's policy to keep porn out of blue-ray. Porn has always been the testing ground in the U.S. for freedom of speech. You may not like it but you shouldn't prohibit it.
If porn content distributers cannot license blue-ray, what is stopping SONY from blocking other small content distributers? Maybe they will block next films that go against "family values".
DRM creates vertical monopolies by coupling technology with the content. This goes against the fundamental principle of converging technology: play everything in every device, where ever you are.
As anyone thought about the danger of having these chemicals so freely available to teens. If I was a 14 year-old boy I surely would try to open a cup and see it burn... and after that I would try to use many cups at the same time. Then you put the calcium oxide into a capsule that degrades with water and you send it down the toilet....booommm! That's how you start arresting kids for terrorist when in carrying more than one cup of coffee...
I must say I also have the same problem. It's quite difficult for me to start with a blank canvas. After many years I started being quite good at borrowing from others. My favourite software is Corel Draw. Some people think it is quite difficult but not for me, since I've been using it from version 2.3 and I now have version 11.
I know how to use most tools there and I always install the maximum number of fonts and clipart.
You don't need to use the clipart "as it is". Take it, ungroup the elements, delete some things, change others... DON'T start from stratch!!! I made many things that initially were based to existing stuff, but after some time I had eventually replaced all those elements with things of my own creation.
If you have an analytical mind with a bit of sense of style (like me), don't go for artistic software like Photoshop. Go for something more like Corel Draw. Use Photoshop only for... photos!! Duh!
Good luck and start working! Experience is everything!
They invented TCP... again!!
on
Replacing TCP?
·
· Score: 4, Informative
(NOT) Everyone knows that TCP has problems and for many years people have been developing transport protocols that enhance or replace TCP.
These guys haven't invented anything new. There are many flavours of TCP with different congestion mechanisms and there is a special kind of transport protocol that solves most problems... I'm talking about SCPS-TP, supported by NASA and it performs very well with high bit-error links (like satellites) and it also copes with high delay. The good thing about SCPS-TP is that it's compatible with TCP, because it basically an extension of TCP.
There is another problem with using UDP based transport protocols... they usually have low priority in routers (probably because you can use UDP for VoIP...)
I imagine that you are living the US... but if you were living in Europe, I know several companies that provide DVB-RCS terminal with Wireless hotspot integration for remote communities.
You can take a look at companies like Aramiska, Avanti, SES-Astra...
On a DVB-RCS 2-way satellite terminal you can have 10Mbit/s download and 2Mbit/s upload, and you can even choose if you want the entire bandwidth for yourself or if you want to save some money and share it in a contention ratio of 1:5, 1:20 or 1:60.
Re:Global IPv6 Service launch event in Brussels
on
The State of IPv6
·
· Score: 1
In fact there are some ISPs with a full native IPv4/IPv6 dualstack and even IPv4 multicast on their backbone (ex: Surfnet.nl).
The problem with the cablemodems and ADSL and stuff is true but that is why a tunnel connection is necessary to jump over IPv4 devices. Some ADSL providers like XS4all.nl provide a preconfigured tunnel connection over the ADSL connection. The used just has to login to their website and follow very simple instructions.
A tunner connection for the "last mile" is not such a bad thing. The problem is when you have to cross the internet to get to the tunnel endpoint.
Global IPv6 Service launch event in Brussels
on
The State of IPv6
·
· Score: 1
I'm happy to say that I attended that event and it was really great. The demonstration area was really amazing...
They had a HDSDI TV receiving a 270Mbps stream from Madrid (1.5Gbps uncompressed). Another great demo was the IPv6 over satellite from ESA (European Space Agency). They were streaming videos using the award winning Videolan.
There is still some way to go on IPv6 but the main problem is the lack of IPv6 link requests from users that makes the ISPs ignore IPv6 as an important issue.
The best thing of the event was one of the girls that was part of the organization!!! just amazing....
SpamCop says this is why their blacklist should not be used to block mail. Their list is entirely automated; it's based on reports from users, and SpamCop does not verify it. Read more on SpamCop's site about exactly how it works. Well, some brainless IT guy had this great idea to use the blacklist to block the email addresses. Spam is only going to end if you do not use email at all.
I just got a legitimate email returned because spamcop claims that the smtp server of the webhosting provider has an abnormal rate of spam. The worse thing about spam is that filtering systems create false positives... My provider requires authentication but everyone knows that you can create spam using a IP address from a well behaved smtp server.
Just my luck! Firebird is one of my first nicknames, even before I started using the Internet. After that I found out there was a car with that name, and now they are naming it a browser. I can tell you that there are many things named Firebird, so it's not really a good name. In google there are about 675,000 hits. Maybe they should name it YaF (yet another firebird).
I'm glad this is considered a bug, and a pretty annoying bug I might say.
I hope they fix it soon, like the other 200k bugs.
One thing I hate.. but I can't all it a bug
on
Mozilla Project Turns 5
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
One thing I hate.. but I can't all it a bug is that when I open a link in a new window or tab and it fails to connect, the browser shows a stupid dialog box and the URL of that page is about:blank.
This way I can't refresh because I lost the URL. Sometimes I open several tabs and I need to know which links correspond to the failed windows so that I can reopen. I think IE tries to connect twice before failing.
Why play the DHCP game when IPv6 completely obsoletes DHCP?
I am sorry but IPv6 still has DHCP for active configuration, but also has a passive configuration protocol that is supported by the radvd - router advertisement daemon.
In 2001, I installed a IPv6 subnet with Mobile IPv6 support, where passive auto-configuration was needed to detect that the computer (Mobile Node) had changed network.
Speaking of Apple...
I think Sun has products with such cool designs but with a completely different approach in comparison to Apple.
If Sun reaches the market with one of those black coloured thin clients and with a trendy smart card, they will appeal to a lot more people.
One other important thing is not to antagonize the Linux/Open Source community. If they want to fight Micro$oft, they must be kind to Linux.
That is exactly correct. I remember reading an article in slashdot with the instrutions to build your own apple clone. In the end, the guy said you couldn't call it apple because it wasn't made by apple. You could only say it was a PowerPC.
Btw, it was really ugly. Just another grey box.
Most of you would agree that Macs are the prettiest things to look at. So, my question is:
What are the differences between Xfree86 and Quartz (is that the correct name?) and why can Apple give a little back to linux instead of only taking?
One thing that bothers me is that Linux can boost the performance of a not so recent machine, but it's usually the other way around when it comes to the graphical environment. (Talking with some experience).
I just would like to add that I also think Xfree86 should be modularised and that most drivers (expect the old VGA) should in separate modules.
I remember a previous discussion of the mono project, where someone said that M$ might file.net for W3C standard. This would ensure that nomo wouldn't be sued from here to oblivion.
I think people should remember that EA is now bigger than Disney.
They also make most of official sport games on the market and they always make a PS2 version.
If this isn't enough to annoy M$, I don't know what it is.
The console market isn't about the best platform, it's about having the best games.
In my university they have workstations with double boot with win2000 and slackware. The servers are DEC Unix and also intel servers with Red Hat.
M$ educational licenses are very cheap and I see no reason to remove M$ from campus when you have an alternative a reboot away and all the servers are *nix.
Even if microsoft had won the battle for the desktop, Linux is surely going to win in the server market and embedded systems. I just read today several articles for loading HP Compaq iPAC with linux. Compaq actually sponsors the developers' site and repairs the iPACs if something goes terribly wrong.
Slashdot Mirror
For me, my favourite Dune books are the Dune and the God Emperor of Dune. This last one is such an amazing book, rich with philosophy and politics. My least favourite ones are Heretics of Dune and Children of Dune. They are too boring. The new books are crap but they do a good job a describing the Dune universe and telling how the story continues.
DRM is just bad for consumers.
Just look at iTunes. You buy DRM protected songs that can only be played on your computer and your iPod.
If you buy a CD, you pay an average of 30c per song in royalties, while in iTunes you pay 70c in royaties. What do you get? A lossy compressed song that is crippled by DRM. Besides that, you are actually paying for the DRM you are using. You pay the licensing fees for the fairplay system.
DRM creates monopolies and it only benefits large companies.
Just the other day, there was a report on the SONY's policy to keep porn out of blue-ray. Porn has always been the testing ground in the U.S. for freedom of speech. You may not like it but you shouldn't prohibit it.
If porn content distributers cannot license blue-ray, what is stopping SONY from blocking other small content distributers?
Maybe they will block next films that go against "family values".
DRM creates vertical monopolies by coupling technology with the content. This goes against the fundamental principle of converging technology: play everything in every device, where ever you are.
As anyone thought about the danger of having these chemicals so freely available to teens.
If I was a 14 year-old boy I surely would try to open a cup and see it burn... and after that I would try to use many cups at the same time.
Then you put the calcium oxide into a capsule that degrades with water and you send it down the toilet....booommm!
That's how you start arresting kids for terrorist when in carrying more than one cup of coffee...
I must say I also have the same problem. It's quite difficult for me to start with a blank canvas.
After many years I started being quite good at borrowing from others.
My favourite software is Corel Draw. Some people think it is quite difficult but not for me, since I've been using it from version 2.3 and I now have version 11. I know how to use most tools there and I always install the maximum number of fonts and clipart. You don't need to use the clipart "as it is". Take it, ungroup the elements, delete some things, change others...
DON'T start from stratch!!!
I made many things that initially were based to existing stuff, but after some time I had eventually replaced all those elements with things of my own creation.
If you have an analytical mind with a bit of sense of style (like me), don't go for artistic software like Photoshop. Go for something more like Corel Draw. Use Photoshop only for... photos!! Duh!
Good luck and start working! Experience is everything!
(NOT) Everyone knows that TCP has problems and for many years people have been developing transport protocols that enhance or replace TCP.
These guys haven't invented anything new. There are many flavours of TCP with different congestion mechanisms and there is a special kind of transport protocol that solves most problems...
I'm talking about SCPS-TP, supported by NASA and it performs very well with high bit-error links (like satellites) and it also copes with high delay. The good thing about SCPS-TP is that it's compatible with TCP, because it basically an extension of TCP.
There is another problem with using UDP based transport protocols... they usually have low priority in routers (probably because you can use UDP for VoIP...)
I imagine that you are living the US...
but if you were living in Europe, I know several companies that provide DVB-RCS terminal with Wireless hotspot integration for remote communities. You can take a look at companies like Aramiska, Avanti, SES-Astra... On a DVB-RCS 2-way satellite terminal you can have 10Mbit/s download and 2Mbit/s upload, and you can even choose if you want the entire bandwidth for yourself or if you want to save some money and share it in a contention ratio of 1:5, 1:20 or 1:60.
In fact there are some ISPs with a full native IPv4/IPv6 dualstack and even IPv4 multicast on their backbone (ex: Surfnet.nl). The problem with the cablemodems and ADSL and stuff is true but that is why a tunnel connection is necessary to jump over IPv4 devices. Some ADSL providers like XS4all.nl provide a preconfigured tunnel connection over the ADSL connection. The used just has to login to their website and follow very simple instructions.
A tunner connection for the "last mile" is not such a bad thing. The problem is when you have to cross the internet to get to the tunnel endpoint.
I'm happy to say that I attended that event and it was really great. The demonstration area was really amazing...
They had a HDSDI TV receiving a 270Mbps stream from Madrid (1.5Gbps uncompressed). Another great demo was the IPv6 over satellite from ESA (European Space Agency). They were streaming videos using the award winning Videolan.
There is still some way to go on IPv6 but the main problem is the lack of IPv6 link requests from users that makes the ISPs ignore IPv6 as an important issue.
The best thing of the event was one of the girls that was part of the organization!!! just amazing....
SpamCop says this is why their blacklist should not be used to block mail. Their list is entirely automated; it's based on reports from users, and SpamCop does not verify it. Read more on SpamCop's site about exactly how it works.
Well, some brainless IT guy had this great idea to use the blacklist to block the email addresses.
Spam is only going to end if you do not use email at all.
I just got a legitimate email returned because spamcop claims that the smtp server of the webhosting provider has an abnormal rate of spam.
The worse thing about spam is that filtering systems create false positives...
My provider requires authentication but everyone knows that you can create spam using a IP address from a well behaved smtp server.
Just my luck!
Firebird is one of my first nicknames, even before I started using the Internet.
After that I found out there was a car with that name, and now they are naming it a browser.
I can tell you that there are many things named Firebird, so it's not really a good name.
In google there are about 675,000 hits.
Maybe they should name it YaF (yet another firebird).
I'm glad this is considered a bug, and a pretty annoying bug I might say. I hope they fix it soon, like the other 200k bugs.
One thing I hate.. but I can't all it a bug is that when I open a link in a new window or tab and it fails to connect, the browser shows a stupid dialog box and the URL of that page is about:blank.
This way I can't refresh because I lost the URL.
Sometimes I open several tabs and I need to know which links correspond to the failed windows so that I can reopen.
I think IE tries to connect twice before failing.
Why play the DHCP game when IPv6 completely obsoletes DHCP?
I am sorry but IPv6 still has DHCP for active configuration, but also has a passive configuration protocol that is supported by the radvd - router advertisement daemon.
In 2001, I installed a IPv6 subnet with Mobile IPv6 support, where passive auto-configuration was needed to detect that the computer (Mobile Node) had changed network.
Speaking of Apple... I think Sun has products with such cool designs but with a completely different approach in comparison to Apple. If Sun reaches the market with one of those black coloured thin clients and with a trendy smart card, they will appeal to a lot more people. One other important thing is not to antagonize the Linux/Open Source community. If they want to fight Micro$oft, they must be kind to Linux.
That is exactly correct. I remember reading an article in slashdot with the instrutions to build your own apple clone. In the end, the guy said you couldn't call it apple because it wasn't made by apple. You could only say it was a PowerPC. Btw, it was really ugly. Just another grey box.
Most of you would agree that Macs are the prettiest things to look at. So, my question is: What are the differences between Xfree86 and Quartz (is that the correct name?) and why can Apple give a little back to linux instead of only taking? One thing that bothers me is that Linux can boost the performance of a not so recent machine, but it's usually the other way around when it comes to the graphical environment. (Talking with some experience). I just would like to add that I also think Xfree86 should be modularised and that most drivers (expect the old VGA) should in separate modules.
I remember a previous discussion of the mono project, where someone said that M$ might file .net for W3C standard. This would ensure that nomo wouldn't be sued from here to oblivion.
I think people should remember that EA is now bigger than Disney. They also make most of official sport games on the market and they always make a PS2 version. If this isn't enough to annoy M$, I don't know what it is. The console market isn't about the best platform, it's about having the best games.
In my university they have workstations with double boot with win2000 and slackware. The servers are DEC Unix and also intel servers with Red Hat. M$ educational licenses are very cheap and I see no reason to remove M$ from campus when you have an alternative a reboot away and all the servers are *nix.
Even if microsoft had won the battle for the desktop, Linux is surely going to win in the server market and embedded systems. I just read today several articles for loading HP Compaq iPAC with linux. Compaq actually sponsors the developers' site and repairs the iPACs if something goes terribly wrong.