Isn't this a good thing? Isn't having many companies working towards the same objective...
No, it's not a good thing, because Intel is not working towards the same objective as the OLPC project. What's the difference? Well, the OLPC project is working to provide Free Software specifically designed to have great educational value, while the Intel offering will run a (dubiously useful) plain copy of Windows.
I think kids would be better off not having computers at all, than to be damaged by Microsoft's software!
Meanwhile, in AMD's land, there's a standard between the chipset and the CPU called Hypertransport.
Note that that's not just "AMD land," that's IBM land, VIA land, Transmeta land, HP land, SUN land, and every-other-chip-manufacturer-except-Intel land.
Nah, I skipped that one -- there's not actually any "competitive" mode to it, so it's boring. Also, it annoys me that Ubuntu apparently renamed it "Planet Penguin Racer."
Did you know that it's possible to configure a $15,000 Mac Pro on Apple's website? With eight cores? Yeah, I think Apple is quite well-acquainted with "extremely expensive" and "low volume!"
Well, Maya would still run better on my Intel graphics than it would on an otherwise-equivalent laptop with an Nvidia card using the 'nv' Free Software driver.
But I do get your point; I'm sure my girlfriend (an animator) would love to have a version of my X60 tablet with high-end graphics for running Maya.
Intel graphics are fine if all you run is Office...
I've got Intel graphics on my X60, and I'm in the middle of installing a bunch of 3D games in Linux (Tremulous, FlightGear, Scorched3D, Neverball...); I anticipate that it'll run them just fine. It also works really well with Compiz/Beryl. Personally, I think it's a lot better than having an Nvidia or ATI chip, and not having 3D support at all.
Look at the Thinkpad X60 (and/or Tablet). They're more expensive than the MacBook, but not by all that much considering the current sale, and if you're a student the tablet is wonderful for taking notes (I love mine!).
So how slim can you make a Vista premium ultra ready dual core hamburger grill? Don't those things suck down 300 W at idle before you turn on that clumsy enlightenment knock off GUI?
Well, Aero Glass works on a Core Duo Mac Mini, so I'd have to say the answer is "pretty damn slim."
and if you don't think it's about profit, ask yourself why all of the low end PPC machines had okay ATI or NVidia graphics, while all of the new low end intel machines have totally bullshit Intel GMA graphics?
Personally, I'm okay with Intel graphics -- at least they've got Free Linux drivers. Of course, that's more of a concern on non-Apple computers, since any Mac I'd own would be running OS X...
As a software developer why you should work twice more...
By "work twice more" you mean "check an option box in XCode," right?
If Apple would keep randomly altering their hardware and require compatibility with a range of completely different architectures, in the end it'll completely alienate the developers.
Yeah, just like how the wide range of different architectures most UNIX software runs on alienates developers...
What I don't understand is, since Mac software has to be Universal nowadays anyway, why Apple doesn't just permanently keep its lineup as a mix of PPC and x86, picking whichever chip suits the particular machine they're designing at the time? Power6 Xserves along side Core 2 laptops... it sounds good to me!
...charging for inbound shit you don't want and can't turn off.
Actually, you can turn off SMS messages. In fact, back when I first got my contract with Cingular, I called up customer service and told them to turn off SMS and web access entirely.
Says who? Code under the GPLv2 can be linked with a lot of other code; all that matters is that the licenses are compatible.
Right, but what does "compatible" mean? The answer is that "compatible" means that the other license is "more Free" than the GPL, by which I mean that it imposes fewer restrictions on redistribution. The reason for this is the following clause in the GPL:
"You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein." (Section 6)
For example, the original BSD license is incompatible because it contains an advertising clause -- an additional restriction -- while the new BSD license is compatible because that clause was removed. The Affero GPL is incompatible because it has additional restrictions about programs distributed as web services. The CPL is incompatible because it requires the licensing of any relevant patents.
I have seen no indication that GPLv2 and GPLv3 are incompatible.
The GPLv3 will be incompatible with v2 (again, without the "or later" clause) for the same reasons as the Affero GPL and the CDL: it will contain additional restrictions regarding patents and distribution as a web service. Also, I'm not sure why you've never heard of this; not only does one person say that it's "always been known", it's even in the FSF's FAQ (see the "compatibility matrix"!
You'd hope that in something as critical as a nuclear power plant the answer would be, very quickly, "no, it didn't come from an external source because that's impossible".
Actually, power plants have to have a connection to the outside world. Why? Load-balancing for the power grid. If another plant goes down somewhere, this plant needs to know about it so that it can adjust output to compensate. For that, all the plants need to be hooked to a communications grid, which could conceivably be hacked (even though -- I would hope -- it's not connected to the Internet).
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No, it's not a good thing, because Intel is not working towards the same objective as the OLPC project. What's the difference? Well, the OLPC project is working to provide Free Software specifically designed to have great educational value, while the Intel offering will run a (dubiously useful) plain copy of Windows.
I think kids would be better off not having computers at all, than to be damaged by Microsoft's software!
Yep -- a GMA 950 will outperform even a GeForce 8000 GTX, when the GeForce is using the nv driver!
Note that that's not just "AMD land," that's IBM land, VIA land, Transmeta land, HP land, SUN land, and every-other-chip-manufacturer-except-Intel land.
Right, so they actually don't have drivers, then.
Nah, I skipped that one -- there's not actually any "competitive" mode to it, so it's boring. Also, it annoys me that Ubuntu apparently renamed it "Planet Penguin Racer."
Did you know that it's possible to configure a $15,000 Mac Pro on Apple's website? With eight cores? Yeah, I think Apple is quite well-acquainted with "extremely expensive" and "low volume!"
Well, Maya would still run better on my Intel graphics than it would on an otherwise-equivalent laptop with an Nvidia card using the 'nv' Free Software driver.
But I do get your point; I'm sure my girlfriend (an animator) would love to have a version of my X60 tablet with high-end graphics for running Maya.
Ah! Unlike most of the other replies, you have a really good point!
I've got Intel graphics on my X60, and I'm in the middle of installing a bunch of 3D games in Linux (Tremulous, FlightGear, Scorched3D, Neverball...); I anticipate that it'll run them just fine. It also works really well with Compiz/Beryl. Personally, I think it's a lot better than having an Nvidia or ATI chip, and not having 3D support at all.
If the ISP had IMAP support, that'd be a downside right there, since Gmail still doesn't!
That depends. Does the universe kill all the lawyer processes when it runs out of memory?
What makes you think that? After all, Apple (secretly) maintained support for x86 all the way from when OS X was still called NeXTStep!
Look at the Thinkpad X60 (and/or Tablet). They're more expensive than the MacBook, but not by all that much considering the current sale, and if you're a student the tablet is wonderful for taking notes (I love mine!).
Well, Aero Glass works on a Core Duo Mac Mini, so I'd have to say the answer is "pretty damn slim."
Personally, I'm okay with Intel graphics -- at least they've got Free Linux drivers. Of course, that's more of a concern on non-Apple computers, since any Mac I'd own would be running OS X...
By "work twice more" you mean "check an option box in XCode," right?
Yeah, just like how the wide range of different architectures most UNIX software runs on alienates developers...
...oh, wait.
What I don't understand is, since Mac software has to be Universal nowadays anyway, why Apple doesn't just permanently keep its lineup as a mix of PPC and x86, picking whichever chip suits the particular machine they're designing at the time? Power6 Xserves along side Core 2 laptops... it sounds good to me!
In that case, they could go with the standard "take it away and give it back at the end of the school year" punishment.
Actually, you can turn off SMS messages. In fact, back when I first got my contract with Cingular, I called up customer service and told them to turn off SMS and web access entirely.
Whatever. It's stupid either way.
Yeah, they must have only been skimming "Web 2.0 for Dummies" and missed the warning box on page 2:
Good thing, too -- according to the page, they're only planning on making about 400 of them per month anyway.
If you wanted fewer fancy keys you could always get the mini version...
Right, but what does "compatible" mean? The answer is that "compatible" means that the other license is "more Free" than the GPL, by which I mean that it imposes fewer restrictions on redistribution. The reason for this is the following clause in the GPL:
For example, the original BSD license is incompatible because it contains an advertising clause -- an additional restriction -- while the new BSD license is compatible because that clause was removed. The Affero GPL is incompatible because it has additional restrictions about programs distributed as web services. The CPL is incompatible because it requires the licensing of any relevant patents.
The GPLv3 will be incompatible with v2 (again, without the "or later" clause) for the same reasons as the Affero GPL and the CDL: it will contain additional restrictions regarding patents and distribution as a web service. Also, I'm not sure why you've never heard of this; not only does one person say that it's "always been known", it's even in the FSF's FAQ (see the "compatibility matrix"!
Actually, power plants have to have a connection to the outside world. Why? Load-balancing for the power grid. If another plant goes down somewhere, this plant needs to know about it so that it can adjust output to compensate. For that, all the plants need to be hooked to a communications grid, which could conceivably be hacked (even though -- I would hope -- it's not connected to the Internet).