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  1. Congrats, and Big/Little endian on LinuxPPC 2000 - First Boxed Product · · Score: 1
    This is great news and the discussion so far has been also great. As a LinuxPPC user, I always cringe when an Apple related story gets posted here. I'll going to buy this product as I do want to support the folks at LinuxPPC. Hopefully, the T-shirts will be available in five fruity colors.:-)

    This is slightly OT, but I was wondering if somebody has a helpful answer to a question concerning big/little endian. At work, we run a mixture of HP's, SGI's, Sun's, and Intel-based Linux workstations; the linux are a relatively new addition. We also have a lot of our data stored in binary format (shorts, ints, floats, and doubles). Needless to say, the X86 linux computers have had problems with the binary data generated on the other nix boxes. I have mentioned to the pro-x86 crowd that using LinuxPPC on a mac would be nice, but I'm woefully outvoted in this regard.

    What is the best solution to this problem? All my code has been converted to use xdr so I don't have any problems. But is there another better solution to this (and no, converting to ascii is not an acceptable solution).

    Anyway, congrats to LinuxPPC. Can't wait to see a LinuxoOnePPC in the future.:-)

  2. complicated issue on AOL Ends Open Access Push · · Score: 1
    1st off, I think the AOL is and has been blowing smoke up somebody's rs232. That said, I would to point out that there are many aspects to all of this.

    1) Internet time. The regulators and government are moving too slow (to make open access), and hence AOL had to buy their cable access.
    2) The Portland open access case is in the courts. We all know how long this is going to take to be resolved.
    3) The FCC is involved. The commissioners are not appointed for life, and a lot of politics is involved in their selection. Kennard has been lukewarm to open access. Congress has been beating down on the FCC. Conclusion: don't build your business plan on the actions of the FCC. Cover all your options. For AOL, they have cable access, and if open access is mandated, AOL also wins.
    4) Virginia and Maryland, while close to AOL headquarters, have only local interest as far as AOL is concerned. While the old saying is that all politics is local, the internet is not.
    5) AOL decided that fighting for open access is too unpredictable.
    6) Time Warner does not want open access. Why? I don't know, but there maya reason.
    7) Another acquisition is in the works (e.g., another cable company).
    8) It is late, I'm going to bed. Do you know where you cookies are?

  3. Sorry, Eros naked and ... on Exploring the Asteroids · · Score: 1
    Going straight to karma hell, but shouldn't somebody post, Eros naked and petrified (forget the hot grits). Afterall, Eros is the Greek god of erotic love (much better a topic than NP). But then again, the petrified part of things would sort of put a chill of things. Then again, the chill could be counteracted by hot grits:-)

    More karma hell. I have to wonder what is the shape of the asteroid Eros? If you saw two movies last summer (one was the Phantom Menance) then you know that it look like a dick, woody, wang, johnson, prick, wiener, privates with two... Also, please don't answer this by posting by putting up the infamous link. Been there, wish I did that.

  4. Long time no smell on Northwest Searches Employees' Home Computers · · Score: 1
    This is totally OT, but where have you been? I haven't seen you here at /. for a while. Classes getting to be more "fun"? I don't want to kiss you butt, but, guys like you made /. fun when I 1st started to come here in the days when I was just a lowly AC (in the days before logging in). IIRC, your nick was one that was being "spoofed" which then led to the loggin /. process. Where did pinguin (sp?) go?;-)

    Back OT, I have to agree with you; this is not the whole story. The key to this is what Federal law was "broken" (don't know the details about the labor law that was mentioned in the article) and what is the extent of this law.

    I want more self-combusting cow articles!

  5. Re:A Question About IBM on IBM Announcements on Chip Design/Nanocommunications · · Score: 2
    IBM has had an interesting past. I remember when they were the evil empire. And trust me, they were a really, really big evil empire in the perception of many people. This was in the days when the terms mini and super computers made sense.

    OTOH, IBM has been noted for their research programs. About 20 yrs ago, there was the big three in terms of corporate research. They were AT&T, IBM, and Exxon. Well Exxon has greatly reduced their research efforts (as had the other major oil companies), AT&T has been split up and then again split up again (Bell Labs is part of Lucent), while IBM has redirected their researchers to perform more applied research. But IBM research is still very impressive. Low temperature super-conductivity was an IBM product that came out their Zurich research facility.

    Off topic, but Thomas Watson many years ago had the now-famous Think posters put up. I used to have a cartoon in my office that showed the Think poster with a guy saying, "I'll like to, but I have too much work to do."

    Ross Perot founded EDS (after being an IBM salesman) to provide software for IBM mainframes. Back then, IBM philosophy was to sell hardware, software was just an afterthought. Hmmm, I wonder if anybody else got rich for selling software that ran on IBM hardware.

    Yup, I'm just rambling. IBM is a "friend" of linux at this moment. They have been very good for the time being. However, as a person who has witnessed the might of IBM in the past, I'm scared of what IBM could potentially do to screw things up. Remember, the enemy (linux) of my enemy (MS) is my friend. Of course, we all live by the ancient Chinese saying/curse, "May you live interesting times."

  6. In the future? on Sneaky Satellite Photos Available Online · · Score: 1
    The key thing to remember is that this is the current state of the art of the commercial satellites. In a few more years, the capabilites will improve. Other sensor information will probably become available.

    Just like our CPU's keep getting better, our ability to perform satellite recon will also get better. I don't know but I don't think that there is an available technology to screw up this capability. At least for computers there is encryption. I don't have anything to hide but I'm concerned about privacy issues.

    I guess for now, all one can do is make it public knowledge about when this type of satellite is overhead. For me, I'm going to put my statue of NP naked and petrified in my back yard. If infrared sensors/imaging is available, then I'll pour hot grits down my pants. There! Something useful advice gained by the trolls of /.

  7. BEAM on Autonomous Robot Explores Antarctica · · Score: 3
    The Smithsonian magazine had a very nice article about Mark Tilden and the "chaotic" robots that he makes at Los Alamos. These robots are called generally refered to as BEAM (Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, Mechanics). They are relatively simple in design and are made of parts that can be easily purchased. But the nice thing about them is that can exhibit learning capabilities and seem like they are alive.

    If you have some spare change, then check out Solarbotics. If you want to build one from scratch, then go to some search engine, and search for Mark Tilden (that should get you going). So get out your soldering iron and electrical tape, and get to work making your very own robot.

  8. DTV amd more random thoughts on Corporate Media Conglomerate HOWTO · · Score: 1
    This is slight OT, but what about the advent of DTV? As I understand it, normal broadcasts will be unencrypted and should be easily digitally recorded. Pay per view will/may be encrypted (168 bit, triple DES?), along with premium channels.

    What if someone figures out the encryption keys? This threat will probably come from the inside, not from some outside crack. Of course, the powers to be will then blame the teenage computer hackers.

    What I don't fully understand is that the TV Broadcast industry has not been a total assholes about digital recording. The only reason that I can think about is that ads get recorded when one records some TV show. Suppose in the future, digital recording is made feesible. Then suppose that someone figures out an efficient automated means of "filtering" out the ads. Then what?

    In all the controversy about DVD's, I haven't seen a lot of discussion about DTV. Is it because of the provisons in DTV for adequate content encryption? If that is the case, then MPAA looks really stupid for not demanding similar protection. OTOH, in their pursuit of money, the powers to be did not wait for the practical implementation of effective decryption hardware/software.

  9. Re:My bad idea. on But What About the Commercials? · · Score: 1
    Nah, you are not dreaming. But what is interesting is that the Big Brother Ad was against IBM who now supports Linux.

    BTW, if everybody donates a dollar, then we could pay for a 30 second ad. Replace a monkey with a penguin. The two geezers would be...? Rhymes with dates and Palmer.

    I still liked the lemmings ad. In hindsight and in historical perspective, those ppl falling off the edge were ex-Apple employees. The last guy was Jobs.

  10. Re:Say what? on But What About the Commercials? · · Score: 1
    Well I liked the lemmings ad.:) OTOH, your assessment of the 4th quarter was right on. Great period. One freaking yard!

    You do raise an interesting issue, one that I have not seen raised before. Is the quality of the game inversely proportional to the (relative) quality of the ads? But how does rate the game? How does one rate the ads? What does the MPAA, NSA, FCC, RIAA, and NFL say about this?

    I do like it tho. Zico's inverse professiional relationship (ZIPR). Does the zipper go up or down?

  11. Apple on But What About the Commercials? · · Score: 1
    I really liked the EDS cat herding commercial. For the life of me I could not figure out which company was being highlighted. At the end, it made sense. The "Monkey" ad was priceless. The Schwab ad was enjoyable as I'm a sports fan. Having Ditka at the end was outstanding and must have been hastily filmed.

    But I still like the monster.com ad from last year. I want to claw my way up the middle management. I want to a yes man. Yes woman. Brown nose.

    The pepsi ads a few years ago were very good.

    But, nothing can surpass the old Apple ads that appeared about 15 years ago. There were two of them. The 1984/Big Brother ad is well known. But there was another one that had a bunch of businessmen walking off a cliff while whistling. The last person stops and takes a peek of the cliff from his blindfold. The key thing is that Apple really pioneered the "interesting" Super Bowl ads. This is called innovation. This year I looked forward to watching the ads. A long time ago, the only ad that mattered was the Apple ad.

    But I'm glad that some of the ads sucked. It gave me a chance to answer Mother Nature.

  12. LinuxOne on China Hits Internet With Secrecy Rules · · Score: 1
    Now I get it. This is why LinuxOne is having problems posting their source code. They really want to put the server in China as they expect to do a lot of business over there. Unfortunately, LinuxOne has to check all the "interesting" comments in the code, and make sure it doesn't give away Chinese state secrets.

    But look on the bright side. Things are getting better. For instance,

    Web sites -- and any organization with computer links to the Internet -- which failed to implement safeguards against security breaches could be shut down, they said.

    At least it didn't say that they were going to shoot them.:)

  13. random thoughts on Putting Your Brain into A Computer · · Score: 1
    Random thoughts about this subject.

    With my luck, the sysadmin will forget to do a backup.

    Clone your brain, then play against it in QuakeXXIV. Sh*t, the sucker knows all my moves.

    The average /. reader clones their brain many times and then they all post and moderate /. Unfortunately, viewing at a score of 0 see no posts as they all been declared, -1 Troll. This hold true except for the karma whores who all get +5 Insightful. (Just kidding folks! :))

    A test of one's ego will be the memory and cpu requirements of the storage system. Hehehe, poor old [you will in the name] only needed a X486 with 256K.

    Bill Gates copies his brain, but in an "unfortunate" incident, it gets merge with those of Steve Case, Larry Ellison, and Scott McNealy. The result is JarJar Binks. Which leads me to my last stupid comment.

    OT: I woke up screaming last night with the awful thought of JarJar Binks, Naked and Petrified.

  14. Re:Why this appears to be a longer road than expec on Judge Reinstates Java Injunction Against Microsoft · · Score: 1
    That's correct, MS cannot call a clean room version of java, java. Then again I said this.

    Of course, they would have to change the name.

  15. Re:My scepticism slowly vanishes... on Hope for Mars Polar Lander? · · Score: 2
    This is OT, but the money that NASA spends is a small percentage of what the US government spends. If it helps ppl on Earth (and not those in the USA as you wish) then it is money well spent. But my main point is to hopefully put things in perspective.

    We just had a good storm here on the east coast of the US. The US government closed down in DC for Tuesday (and I believe for Wednesday). The total cost for the two day shutdown for the Washington,DC area is about $120M. You could practically send up another probe for that type of money.

  16. Re:Why this appears to be a longer road than expec on Judge Reinstates Java Injunction Against Microsoft · · Score: 1
    The key thing about this ruling is not the filing for an injunction. This is was done by Sun back in 1997 when they accuse MS of poluting Java by introducing "innovations" that essentially violated the licencing agreement. When MS says that they are in compliance, they mean that they are *now* in compliance, not that they were in the past. Embrace and extend has been temporarily been hindered.

    If the injunction was not reinstated, MS could possibly then begin to make "innovations". IIRC, MS can still do this if they perform a clean room development of Java. IIRC, MS is trying to do this. Of course, they would have to change the name.

    If MS had lost the contractural portion of this battle, then Sun could have requested more reparations.

  17. Re:Sweeney quote: Microsoft Word on Tim Sweeney On Programming Languages · · Score: 1
    A recent issue of the Smithsonian magazine had an article about how Intel makes their chips. At the end of the article, the writer talks to Gordon Moore of Moore's Law. Here's a nice quote from him.

    There will always be a need for greater power and speed, Moore added. The software programmers can always use it. "We have a saying, Intel giveth and Microsoft taketh away."

  18. NSA witness on MPAA Sending Out DMCA Demand Letters · · Score: 1
    I know that the U.S. laws probably cover this, but I just have to think that other U.S. government agencies attempt to reverse engineer encrypted technology. These agencies do so under the guise and protection of national security. Actually, I agree that there is such a thing called national security and the need to perform such functions. It would have been pathetic if someone declared that they could not break JN-25 because it was illegal.

    OTOH, I would call as my 1st witness an expert from the NSA to comment on the encryption scheme, the need for encryption, and the ability to crack certain schemes. Weak encryption is equivalent in this current (and future) computer environment to no encryption at all. Hence, I would argue that weak encryption really does not constitute a good faith attempt to protect their IP. Just think. Suppose I use a bad encryption scheme. In a few years from now, this bad scheme will look even more pathetic. Let's see, I can use HAL. Nobody will figure out what this really means. (And yes, I do know that this was not intended).

    The MPAA should be more concerned with producing movies that people want to see. The MPAA should be wondering why their companies do not legally show a profit on blockbuster movies so that they don't have to really do profit sharing.

  19. Re:What are you doing online? Get OUTSIDE! on Total Lunar Eclipse · · Score: 1
    Just got back in after freezing my butt off after only a few minutes outside. You are correct, get outside and take a look. Sorry, got to get back out to take another look. Wind chill below zero (F), but it is worth the look.

    It is so cold, I think I'm going to freeze solid into some kind of statue. You know, like I'm petrified.

  20. Valenti (MPAA) pay for 1998 on New DVD Lawsuits Filed by the MPAA (UPDATED) · · Score: 1
    This may be slightly OT, but to get an idea of what the opposition is like, consider the following little tidbit that was in the Washington Post this past week. Jack Valenti (MPAA), who used to be the highest paid trade association chief, has slipped from number 2 to number 4; Valenti only made $1,012,091 in 1998. Jason Berman (RIAA) was 7th on the list at $861,268. Derek Anstrom of the National Cable Television Association was 10th at $812,595.

    Gene Upshaw (NFL Players Association) was numero uno at $1,799,972. Go Niners! No wait! They're not in the playoffs this year.

    If Valenti loses this one he may have to take a pay cut to only a 6 digit figure.

  21. Re:Damn immigants on Candidates on Net Issues · · Score: 1
    I've seen abuses on both sides when it comes to immigration of skilled workers. This involves ppl that should have been granted work visas or permanent immigration status, and the lowering of work conditions by the importation of cheaper labor.

    The law says that an employer can only hire a foreigner if there is not an equivalently qualified American for that job. In terms of H1-B, the visa applicant cannot be offered a lower paying salary.

    Unfortunately, the laws are not being enforced.

    Corporate American wants to use and abuse its computer savy workforce. Cheaper labor is a great from their perspective.

    A few years ago, the Dept. of Labor conducted a survey of the computer industry with respect to H1-B hires. For about 80% of the companies they could not compile statistics as there was no sufficient records of the hiring practices. In the remaining instances, there was a pattern of lower wages given to the H1-B's than the advertised position stated.

  22. Re:Another bad idea from Clinton. on ROTC-Like Program for Nerds · · Score: 1
    First off, I know ppl that work for the EPA and OSHA. They are held responsible to the voting public via a group called Congress. The Federal Courts also play a significant role. In fact, I would say that Congressional oversight is often more politically motivated, and is intended to circumvent the laws. For instance, the EPA has had some problems with the Clean Air and Clean Water acts with respect to coal mining and usage due to Senator Byrd of West Virginia.

    Many Federal programs are based on success. If the scholarships are assigned to the schools, then the schools are accountable. Too many failures would mean a reduction in funds to that school. I know this because I was involved in one such program, albeit at the graduate school level. My school didn't do that great initially. I remember that when I got my Ph.D., the Dean of the Graduate School was very happy as he could then chaulk up another success story.

    Finally, the attrition rate for a science degree is usually greater than the normal rate for the other majors (except perhaps, engineering). My observation is that physics is particularly bad as is pre-med. As long as it is a CS degree, as oppose to a CP (P=Programming) degree, I think that the attrition rate will be relatively high.

  23. First (Hawaii Pidgin) Post! on End of the World · · Score: 1
    I stay in Hawaii where we stay the last place to be Y2k. We no care. If we lose electr..., elec..., ah, powa, den, we stay okay. Wot? We no need heat. If stay cold, like 65 degrees, den we put on jacket. If stay warm and the beer stay warm, den we goin to have to drink it warm. Eh, so wot?

    But if we not can get /. den we goin to get really pissed. We goin to Mishigan and goin pound CmdrTaco face. Eh, haole boy, how come I no stay one modarator?

    Joking aside, I wish everyone, even MEEPT!!, a wonderful new year/century/millenium. To all, I hope that we as a global community can put aside our differences to finally achieve some semblance of peace in my/our lifetime.

    To all out there: Haoli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year) from beautiful Hawaii.

  24. Haole Makahiki Hou! on Y2K Rollover - Post Your Experiences Here! · · Score: 1
    Your intrepid Hawaii /. reporter here (the last major urban center to enter Y2K). The lights are still on, and the air conditioners (hehehe) are still working. The fireworks are essentially over.

    Here in Hawaii, firecrackers and other kiddie stuff are legal (a 4 foot string costs about $2). Aerials and other more stout fireworks are illegal, but are very plentiful. This year was great. You can watch someone else put on a fireworks display (which is great if well done), but lighting the fuse yourself is not too shaby.

    So to my good friends out there. Peace on Earth, software for everyone, and a sincere wish that there will be a Y3K celebration.

    Aloha and haole makahiki hou!

  25. Re:Microsoft Is Responsible for Hotmail/Passport on Negligence and Open Source · · Score: 1
    Very nice response. However, one cannot/should not use examples from a different time to justify/explain current situations.

    The internet worm brought to us by Morris was a wake up call that led to greater internet security. Very few businesses were dependent on the internet at that time, over ten years ago. Now there are much more companies that greatly rely on the internet. How many stock values were dependent on the whims of the internet ten years ago. The stakes are higher now.

    The Smartship debacle has other roots of failure other than your divide by zero example. Most OS's handle NaN rather gracefully; some application don't. Some OS's don't. IIRC, the blame game in this case can/has go around in circles until one pukes. I always wondered why ppl don't follow/check the IEEE or POSIX or ANSI standards.

    The loss of market capitalization suffered by eBay was justifiable and also a knee-jerk reaction. The price of eBay stock was overvalued at that time. As you know, if a relatively small number of investors all sell their stock, then the value of the stock goes down, big time. Furthermore, if MS screws up and their stock price goes down by a mere dollar, the capitalization goes down a lot because their is a lot of MS shares.