At first I was thinking "Hmmm, why in the hell would they choose Eclipse?". I mean Eclispe is OK but its written in, get this, Java. Blech. It feels much like NetBeans. That is, slow, bloated, and generally funky dispite some nice features. Then after reading most of the comments so far I understand why.
Wind River seems to be known for playing stupid games. I've heard they drop support for products as quickly as they create them. There are some strange claims (check SCO references to Wind River). They're coporate road map must be all over the place. In my opinion that makes them unstable and untrustworthy. I wouldn't trust them to choose a proper IDE (hence Eclipse).
Java, yeah right. Can you tell I've been burned? And I've been using Java since the pre-1.0 days.
Meh, nothing is perfect. There's no point in arguing that. There's always a way to get into a system.
I can't remember the last time somebody on the Internet teleported beside me to look over my shoulder.
Instead you need to worry about what level of expense and trouble you want to go through for your particular needs. A smartcard is fairly simple, cheap, and provides decent security. If you go with one of the newer USB cards then you don't even need a reader, the card plugs right into your USB port. It's perfect for storing SSH keys and using that for authentication.
Use a smartcard. Then you can keep your RSA (or whatever; like a really long shared key/password) keys on it.
All you have to remember is a short PIN or passphrase to unlock the keys or other data on the card.
If someone steals your card you don't have to worry too much about them using a brute force attack on your card because the PIN will automatically lock after a certain number of attempts (usually 3 tries and the card is toast).
Sorta, but isn't that just the normal GNOME pager?
The problem with those is that they don't work like tabs. I want to be able to CTRL-T and add a new desktop and I want to be able to close a desktop and make it go completely away.
The pagers I've used are limited to a fixed number of desktops and don't get any smaller when you're not using all of them.
Sounds like what you are talking about is a tabbed desktop. You know, like the tabs in Mozilla.
Well, that's what I want in my desktop anyway.
I don't like the little icons to switch desktops, I want tabs at the top and an Expose-like desktop viewer that shows all the desktops at once. I can move desktop to desktop like that or by using the tabs.
As Linux becomes more popular this is only natural.
Open-source projects are not immune to attack and they are going to start feeling some of the pain experienced by other big targets like Microsoft. In the beginning it could be really bad because unless you're being attacked seriously all the time then you may not even realize where your vulnerabilities are.
This is a wake-up call to all "open" projects. Systems that are in use by a large number of people need to be protected better. Sure, this may have been a password compromise but the system should have been secure enough that some low-level user account compromise can't cause serious damage. And the high level accounts should never, ever have a password compromise. This needs to be treated in the same way big business does. Protect the customers, otherwise you may lose them.
This made me start thinking... Has Redhat ever been compromised? That'd be a reason for going with a commercial distro if the free distros can't get their act together. (I've been a Debian user for many years by the way)
UI design is wholy dependant on the programmers abilities and their knowledge of UI design. I don't think 3D manipulation and rendering of objects in realtime has any real "defined" widget set yet.
I disagree. Give Mirai, Nendo, or Wings 3D (free) a try. I've never met anyone who couldn't figure out how to use it right away and they are very powerful modelers. It's all in the UI and the context sensitive nature of the menus makes it simple for anyone.
I've had people who've never done 3D modeling or even used a computer up and working within 5 minutes in Wings.
Mirai was used to create a lot of the stuff in LOTR. Although there isn't much press to that effect. The official modeler is Maya but the best artists are actually using Mirai for the more difficult modeling.
Blender's UI, well, it sucks. It is possible to have an extremely powerful and fast modeler with an easy to use UI (for anyone).
Don't get me wrong, they are still selling OK (mostly because they're so cheap now). However, I predict PDA usage will die off over the next few years.
They are too bulky, fragile, and often lack functionality (eg. phone). Modern cell phones are much better suited to the role of a PDA. Most are fairly small, very rugged, and you need your phone anyway, perfect match.
I have actually been looking for a PDA watch. Although I won't wear it, but I'll take the band off and keep it in my pocket. This what I really want:
- Something very rugged (like a watch)
- Very small (like 1" across; like a watch). Something I can put in my pocket and not notice it's there.
- Standard PIM applications (including an encrypted password/PIN database)
- Cheap so if I lose it I don't care
Hmmmm... A watch without the band is almost right but often the device is curved and lacks functionality.
Hell, I have a 3 MB smartcard sitting in front of me right now (note the chip is about 1mm thick and 5mm across; small!), you'd think they could make a really tiny PDA using the same technology.
The problem I've had with the crypto loop stuff is that the format and tools keep changing. I have many encrypted files that I now can't access because I have no idea which version of the loop stuff they were encrypted with. Most of the time I only encrypt archived data so often by the time I need it again the whole crypto API has changed. There are too many tiny tools and such needed to make it work. You need a kernel module, plus the loop tools like losetup, and then special mount tools. All of those can and have changed over the years.
As a result I have over 20 GB of encrypted data that I now can't get to. I've tried older versions of the tools and stuff. It's just too hard to get everything to match up again. I've stopped using the encrypted loopback stuff for now. This is where commercial solutions really shine because good companies make it easy to either upgrade your encrypted data or keep backwards compatibility. All too often open-source projects slap you in the head with incompatibilies. Sure, this lets you stay on the bleeding edge but some of use like to get work done.
The reason to choose one OS over another is often more political than technical. People tend to use FreeBSD just to try "something else". People tend to use Linux because the Mandrake/RedHat/Conectiva/SuSE installers are beautiful or because Gentoo is fashion and a good way to learn what Unices are made of.
Ahem... Sorta. But even you go on to say you like PF better and that's why you use *BSD for stuff.
I like FreeBSD for its basic simple and small install and generally the system is just simple, tight, and small. However, I only use Linux because Linux has the software and commercial support I need. For me that mostly means the latest VMware and nVidia software but there is a lot of software that only runs on Linux (newest SVGALIB, etc.).
Hehe, fair enough. I thought about that after I posted.
I've found that most places will not take credit cards to pay your bill. Only checks or direct transfer from your bank account. It sucks because I'd never have to waste time paying bills if I could just put everything on the CC.
I really don't like the idea of the direct bank transfer thing. But then again I'm not sure a written check is any safer.
Eh? Your credit card is the best thing to use. You don't need to carry cash and you're only liable for $50 maximum (at least in the US). So what if someone steals the #? You're not liable and the credit card company has to prove you used the card. It's very simple to take care of a problem when someone steals your CC number, no big deal. Note that I'm talking about a true credit card, not a debit card (never use those as someone could drain your bank account and you could bounce checks).
Credit cards are great and safe, I use mine EVERYWHERE.
Get a P.O. box.
That's great if you don't ever get package. Plus it costs money to keep a PO box.
Don't rent cars or purchase cell phones.
Yeah right. And why not just become a hermit and live in a cave? You should extend your list to include not ever flying, taking a train, a commercial ship, along with other activities.
Cell phones are indispensable saftey devices. Pre-paid cell phones are relatively "safe" if you're that paranoid.
By the way, don't ever get car insurance because they need your SSN and other personal information.:P
I think you're off base. The difference is in public versus private resources.
There is a huge difference between me not walking down a certain street because there is a demostration there or ignoring the person on the street spouting off about something and a large corporate entity with 1000's of employees (or fat 'Net pipes) ringing me up in my private residence. They are taking my time and resources without my consent.
"Public" stuff is fine when done in public or otherwise willfully accepted for private usage. In public you have a right to talk and I have the right to ignore you. However, my private time is mine unless I say different.
Hmmm... But we Americans have many benefits not enjoyed by other countries.
I like being able to go the grocery store and being able to pick from 20 different kinds of peppers (and only 1 mile from my house). Or 50 different types of meats.
I like the convenience of the rare trip to Taco Bell.
I like being able to travel less than 10 miles and get goods and services to do pretty much anything I can imagine.
I like my large yard, nice cars, and house. I don't have money. My cars were used and my house was a VA house that needed serious structural repair. I did all the work myself and now have a great house in a great location. All for a cheap price.
And I don't mind working for all that. Not all that hard work is wasted, we get stuff done.
That's the reason for our technology and military power. Other countries complain, complain, complain, but we worked damn hard for all we have. And I'm just scratching the surface.
I do agree with you about the consumerism of America. The fads and trends are stupid wastes of time and I don't participate in any way. America needs to simplify, work less, and focus on family more.
Maybe, but Borland has has their own widget set for ages. It is used with C++ Builder, Kylix, and stuff like that*. I assume this IDE is using it as well.
It could be written in Java, I dunno. Or it could be written in C++. Since the GUI kit is cross platform anyway and raw C++ is fairly portable too then it could be written in anything (maybe Kylix/Pascal).
I've always found S/MIME (a la Mozilla and others) to be easy as eating pancakes. Integrated and simple. Very powerful too (PKCS#11 modules allow access to smartcards and all sorts of devices).
On the other hand I've always found PGP to be a huge pain in the ass since day 1. I don't know why people stick to it. There was a need for it before S/MIME but nowadays it just sucks.
Another thing it does is put up a minimal barrier working the HF bands. While that may seem "lame" to you, it would suck royally to have the Ham bands turn into the CB bands.
Pffft, there arn't enough radio operators for that to even happen. As I've mentioned before, Amatuer radio has been dying for years due to things like computers and the Internet especially.
I think it would be a great thing to remove the code requirement. We need more operators or there really won't be anything to do on the air (except in emergencies of course).
Although I've held a Tech+ license for the last 12 years or so, I can't say I've used it much. If I need to talk to someone across the globe I just pop up a chat client. Instant, clean, and much faster than radio (no QRM either). It's not that I haven't spent a quite a bit of time working on with the radio, but I always felt like I was just wasting a lot of time. Waiting for conditions, testing and trying again and again without luck. Kinda boring.
Radio still has its place when everything else fails, but for everyday use it should be easier for more people to get involved. I say not only eliminate the code requirements but also lower the testing standards. Flame on!
At most boat ramps you can buy a pass that lets you use the ramp as many times you want (renew every year).
I doubt you'd have to stop as I'm sure they'd remember you and your funky car.
I have no clue why these inventers always make amphibious cars convertables. These cars tend to be relatively heavy compared to a boat and will easily capsize in a rough seas. It seems like a better idea to not make it a convertable and make it submergible for brief periods.
Slashdot Mirror
At first I was thinking "Hmmm, why in the hell would they choose Eclipse?". I mean Eclispe is OK but its written in, get this, Java. Blech. It feels much like NetBeans. That is, slow, bloated, and generally funky dispite some nice features. Then after reading most of the comments so far I understand why.
Wind River seems to be known for playing stupid games. I've heard they drop support for products as quickly as they create them. There are some strange claims (check SCO references to Wind River). They're coporate road map must be all over the place. In my opinion that makes them unstable and untrustworthy. I wouldn't trust them to choose a proper IDE (hence Eclipse).
Java, yeah right. Can you tell I've been burned? And I've been using Java since the pre-1.0 days.
Meh, nothing is perfect. There's no point in arguing that. There's always a way to get into a system.
I can't remember the last time somebody on the Internet teleported beside me to look over my shoulder.
Instead you need to worry about what level of expense and trouble you want to go through for your particular needs. A smartcard is fairly simple, cheap, and provides decent security. If you go with one of the newer USB cards then you don't even need a reader, the card plugs right into your USB port. It's perfect for storing SSH keys and using that for authentication.
Use a smartcard. Then you can keep your RSA (or whatever; like a really long shared key/password) keys on it.
All you have to remember is a short PIN or passphrase to unlock the keys or other data on the card.
If someone steals your card you don't have to worry too much about them using a brute force attack on your card because the PIN will automatically lock after a certain number of attempts (usually 3 tries and the card is toast).
The "virtual screens" as provided by normal desktop pagers do not work like tabs.
They always take up the same amount of space (you can't close desktops) and you can't add desktops on the fly.
Sorta, but isn't that just the normal GNOME pager?
The problem with those is that they don't work like tabs. I want to be able to CTRL-T and add a new desktop and I want to be able to close a desktop and make it go completely away.
The pagers I've used are limited to a fixed number of desktops and don't get any smaller when you're not using all of them.
Sounds like what you are talking about is a tabbed desktop. You know, like the tabs in Mozilla.
Well, that's what I want in my desktop anyway.
I don't like the little icons to switch desktops, I want tabs at the top and an Expose-like desktop viewer that shows all the desktops at once. I can move desktop to desktop like that or by using the tabs.
I liked the alternate design better. Maybe tweek the colors a tad but it was good.
The problem with a Walkman is that it's not expensive enough to put you in the "club" as it were.
Like Porsche, Corvette, and Mac owners. There may be a lot of them but they're "better" than everyone else.
Same holds for the gianormous, heavy, expensive iPod.
As Linux becomes more popular this is only natural.
Open-source projects are not immune to attack and they are going to start feeling some of the pain experienced by other big targets like Microsoft. In the beginning it could be really bad because unless you're being attacked seriously all the time then you may not even realize where your vulnerabilities are.
This is a wake-up call to all "open" projects. Systems that are in use by a large number of people need to be protected better. Sure, this may have been a password compromise but the system should have been secure enough that some low-level user account compromise can't cause serious damage. And the high level accounts should never, ever have a password compromise. This needs to be treated in the same way big business does. Protect the customers, otherwise you may lose them.
This made me start thinking... Has Redhat ever been compromised? That'd be a reason for going with a commercial distro if the free distros can't get their act together. (I've been a Debian user for many years by the way)
UI design is wholy dependant on the programmers abilities and their knowledge of UI design. I don't think 3D manipulation and rendering of objects in realtime has any real "defined" widget set yet.
I disagree. Give Mirai, Nendo, or Wings 3D (free) a try. I've never met anyone who couldn't figure out how to use it right away and they are very powerful modelers. It's all in the UI and the context sensitive nature of the menus makes it simple for anyone.
I've had people who've never done 3D modeling or even used a computer up and working within 5 minutes in Wings.
Mirai was used to create a lot of the stuff in LOTR. Although there isn't much press to that effect. The official modeler is Maya but the best artists are actually using Mirai for the more difficult modeling.
Blender's UI, well, it sucks. It is possible to have an extremely powerful and fast modeler with an easy to use UI (for anyone).
If you want a logo, make your own!
That is the essense of a true hacker. It is about creation, individuality, tinkering... Build your own stuff.
If your logo is good other hackers will recognize it having never seen it before.
Don't get me wrong, they are still selling OK (mostly because they're so cheap now). However, I predict PDA usage will die off over the next few years.
They are too bulky, fragile, and often lack functionality (eg. phone). Modern cell phones are much better suited to the role of a PDA. Most are fairly small, very rugged, and you need your phone anyway, perfect match.
I have actually been looking for a PDA watch. Although I won't wear it, but I'll take the band off and keep it in my pocket. This what I really want:
- Something very rugged (like a watch)
- Very small (like 1" across; like a watch). Something I can put in my pocket and not notice it's there.
- Standard PIM applications (including an encrypted password/PIN database)
- Cheap so if I lose it I don't care
Hmmmm... A watch without the band is almost right but often the device is curved and lacks functionality.
Hell, I have a 3 MB smartcard sitting in front of me right now (note the chip is about 1mm thick and 5mm across; small!), you'd think they could make a really tiny PDA using the same technology.
The problem I've had with the crypto loop stuff is that the format and tools keep changing. I have many encrypted files that I now can't access because I have no idea which version of the loop stuff they were encrypted with. Most of the time I only encrypt archived data so often by the time I need it again the whole crypto API has changed. There are too many tiny tools and such needed to make it work. You need a kernel module, plus the loop tools like losetup, and then special mount tools. All of those can and have changed over the years.
As a result I have over 20 GB of encrypted data that I now can't get to. I've tried older versions of the tools and stuff. It's just too hard to get everything to match up again. I've stopped using the encrypted loopback stuff for now. This is where commercial solutions really shine because good companies make it easy to either upgrade your encrypted data or keep backwards compatibility. All too often open-source projects slap you in the head with incompatibilies. Sure, this lets you stay on the bleeding edge but some of use like to get work done.
The reason to choose one OS over another is often more political than technical. People tend to use FreeBSD just to try "something else". People tend to use Linux because the Mandrake/RedHat/Conectiva/SuSE installers are beautiful or because Gentoo is fashion and a good way to learn what Unices are made of.
Ahem... Sorta. But even you go on to say you like PF better and that's why you use *BSD for stuff.
I like FreeBSD for its basic simple and small install and generally the system is just simple, tight, and small. However, I only use Linux because Linux has the software and commercial support I need. For me that mostly means the latest VMware and nVidia software but there is a lot of software that only runs on Linux (newest SVGALIB, etc.).
Hehe, fair enough. I thought about that after I posted.
I've found that most places will not take credit cards to pay your bill. Only checks or direct transfer from your bank account. It sucks because I'd never have to waste time paying bills if I could just put everything on the CC.
I really don't like the idea of the direct bank transfer thing. But then again I'm not sure a written check is any safer.
Only use your credit card for paying bills.
:P
Eh? Your credit card is the best thing to use. You don't need to carry cash and you're only liable for $50 maximum (at least in the US). So what if someone steals the #? You're not liable and the credit card company has to prove you used the card. It's very simple to take care of a problem when someone steals your CC number, no big deal. Note that I'm talking about a true credit card, not a debit card (never use those as someone could drain your bank account and you could bounce checks).
Credit cards are great and safe, I use mine EVERYWHERE.
Get a P.O. box.
That's great if you don't ever get package. Plus it costs money to keep a PO box.
Don't rent cars or purchase cell phones.
Yeah right. And why not just become a hermit and live in a cave? You should extend your list to include not ever flying, taking a train, a commercial ship, along with other activities.
Cell phones are indispensable saftey devices. Pre-paid cell phones are relatively "safe" if you're that paranoid.
By the way, don't ever get car insurance because they need your SSN and other personal information.
I think you're off base. The difference is in public versus private resources.
There is a huge difference between me not walking down a certain street because there is a demostration there or ignoring the person on the street spouting off about something and a large corporate entity with 1000's of employees (or fat 'Net pipes) ringing me up in my private residence. They are taking my time and resources without my consent.
"Public" stuff is fine when done in public or otherwise willfully accepted for private usage. In public you have a right to talk and I have the right to ignore you. However, my private time is mine unless I say different.
Hmmm... But we Americans have many benefits not enjoyed by other countries.
I like being able to go the grocery store and being able to pick from 20 different kinds of peppers (and only 1 mile from my house). Or 50 different types of meats.
I like the convenience of the rare trip to Taco Bell.
I like being able to travel less than 10 miles and get goods and services to do pretty much anything I can imagine.
I like my large yard, nice cars, and house. I don't have money. My cars were used and my house was a VA house that needed serious structural repair. I did all the work myself and now have a great house in a great location. All for a cheap price.
And I don't mind working for all that. Not all that hard work is wasted, we get stuff done.
That's the reason for our technology and military power. Other countries complain, complain, complain, but we worked damn hard for all we have. And I'm just scratching the surface.
I do agree with you about the consumerism of America. The fads and trends are stupid wastes of time and I don't participate in any way. America needs to simplify, work less, and focus on family more.
I'm downloading right now from kernel.org and my pipe is maxed out at 310 KB/sec.
I doubt we need BitTorrent as they have plenty of bandwidth.
Maybe, but Borland has has their own widget set for ages. It is used with C++ Builder, Kylix, and stuff like that*. I assume this IDE is using it as well.
It could be written in Java, I dunno. Or it could be written in C++. Since the GUI kit is cross platform anyway and raw C++ is fairly portable too then it could be written in anything (maybe Kylix/Pascal).
* I haven't used JBuilder because Java sucks
I've always found S/MIME (a la Mozilla and others) to be easy as eating pancakes. Integrated and simple. Very powerful too (PKCS#11 modules allow access to smartcards and all sorts of devices).
On the other hand I've always found PGP to be a huge pain in the ass since day 1. I don't know why people stick to it. There was a need for it before S/MIME but nowadays it just sucks.
I don't know. Why does a Viper that gets 12 MPG and puts out nearly 3 times the greenhouse gases get a score of 3?
Depends on your perspective of what "pollution" means.
On top of that diesel puts out massive particulate matter into the air, which isn't exactly human friendly.
Uh, when was the last time you looked at diesels? Modern diesels are damn good and like most diesels they last forever.
Another thing it does is put up a minimal barrier working the HF bands. While that may seem "lame" to you, it would suck royally to have the Ham bands turn into the CB bands.
Pffft, there arn't enough radio operators for that to even happen. As I've mentioned before, Amatuer radio has been dying for years due to things like computers and the Internet especially.
I think it would be a great thing to remove the code requirement. We need more operators or there really won't be anything to do on the air (except in emergencies of course).
Although I've held a Tech+ license for the last 12 years or so, I can't say I've used it much. If I need to talk to someone across the globe I just pop up a chat client. Instant, clean, and much faster than radio (no QRM either). It's not that I haven't spent a quite a bit of time working on with the radio, but I always felt like I was just wasting a lot of time. Waiting for conditions, testing and trying again and again without luck. Kinda boring.
Radio still has its place when everything else fails, but for everyday use it should be easier for more people to get involved. I say not only eliminate the code requirements but also lower the testing standards. Flame on!
At most boat ramps you can buy a pass that lets you use the ramp as many times you want (renew every year).
I doubt you'd have to stop as I'm sure they'd remember you and your funky car.
I have no clue why these inventers always make amphibious cars convertables. These cars tend to be relatively heavy compared to a boat and will easily capsize in a rough seas. It seems like a better idea to not make it a convertable and make it submergible for brief periods.