Google is a natural monopoly, looking at the capital costs of gathering all that data. I'm not seeing a cruddy OS, cruddy web browser, or a middle of the road office suite as being natural monopolies, given the evidence that it doesn't take too many people or too much time to do a better job.
I'm seeing a cruddy OS. It's called Android, I have it on my phone, and being linux and all, it runs fucking slow on a 600MHz processor (it takes TEN FUCKING SECONDS to load the SMS, and I don't even have games on it), reboots itself for no reason, 3G stops working, etc.
I'm also seeing a "cruddy web browser": they try to force whathever THEY like into us, by not supporting, gee, H.264 in Chrome? They say it's not a standard, it's not free, whatever. Fuck them. I live in Argentina, and we use ISDB-T with H.264 as the default codec. It's a standard here. They also bought a codec (VP8) and gave it away for free, just to screw everyone else. I'm not sure, but I think this article would be of interest to you, since you seem to be so kind about linking to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumping_(pricing_policy). Also: they try to shove Chrome down your throat ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Chrome comes with a default search engine: GOOGLE! And people complain about IE9 using Bing as the default, What the fuck is wrong with you guys?
Third, a middle of the road office suite? Office is way beyond whatever that bullshit "google docs" is trying to force on us. Have you used Word? Have you used that crap Google calls a "text editor", which is really just a mid-90s HTML editor, with some collaborative shit added on top? Really? I can't even use my own fonts, or adjust margins lines so it won't print 1 page for just half a line of text. BTW, whenever someone attachs a.doc file, Gmail wants me to open it with Docs. Gee, isn't that a monopoly? Microsoft was sued by having IE as the default browser, Google isn't being sued by 'suggesting' you use their product. I don't even see how to make it open files through Office Live, which is microsoft's answer to Google Docs, should Microsoft sue them for using their position blah blah blah...
I know this is slashdot, full of anti-microsoft google-cocksuckers or apple-fanboi-fags but dude, seriously, just LOOK at what google is doing. Your argument is "google is good because microsoft is bad". What are you, 15? Or do you work for google? Really. And let's not even get started on privacy. Try to sign up for a Gmail acount. Guess what? Google wants your phone number! What the fuck is that? Hotmail doesn't ask me for a phone number to have just an email account.
Disclaimer: I don't use Office at home. I have a student license of Windows. In college I worked mostly on Google Docs, and my mail is hosted in Google Apps. I run Solaris, Linux or Windows - whichever is the best for the job. I run Windows because I'm a hobbyist photographer, and I'm used to Adobe Lightroom.
By definition, Microsoft isn't a monopoly. They aren't the only operating system in town, they just happen to be the most successful with a vast majority of the market share. That's not because they are erecting large barriers to entry, it's just because the other operating systems aren't as smart as theirs.
Try a "more expensive" lamp once. I know most of my cheap lamps that had an premature death had solder problems (!). I took them apart, and gave them a quick retouch with my iron, and they worked again. I think it's the stupid lead-free solder which is too brittle.
Our first CFL (back in 1999) lasted for well over 6 years, on every night. It was a Philips, made in the Netherlands or some european country, and it had an electromagnetic ballast. It was rated for 12000 hours. They even have lamps for 20000 hours. Most of the lamps I see now, even from Philips, are rated at 3000 hours, what the fuck?
For even better results, and to be even more eco-friendy, you can try PL lamps. These predate the CFLs, they're just the lamp part of a CFL. The ballast is in the fixture, and you can use an electromagnetic ballast for that (no need to go with electronics crap). Yes, they blink a few times until they turn on, but if it's for a front porch which will stay on all night, that's not an issue. Anyway, the nice thing about PL lamps is that they're not targeted at consumers, they're a little more expensive, but are better made. They also come in various sizes and shapes. All of them are a U-shaped tube. Some are just one, others are 2 stacked, 2 side by side, 3 in a triangle-shape. They're available in many sizes from 5W to 36W.
Oh yes, they run hot. Too hot to touch. And they take over 10 minutes to reach full brightness.
I have them on my store (Philips PL-C 26W 840/2P). They give out 1800lm which is even higher than a 26W CFL, which gives 1500lm. Protip: use a 20W ballast, not a 30W one. Take a look at the ballast, 20W ones usually support 18-26W, while 30W ballasts are rated for 30W lamps ONLY (disclaimer: I live in a 220V country).
However as far as I know you just can't put a HID bulb into a standard incandescent fixture b/c you need a ballast to start and maintain the arc. What kind of setup are you using?
I meant that many people already have this kind of fixtures installed, and it's not difficult to retrofit them to use an external ballast. We're talking outdoors... there's always room for a big bad ballast. I prefer the transformer kind, those last forever. But High CRI (90+, say, Philips 70 or 150W/940 -- 90+ CRI 4000K) lamps need electronics ballasts... they're not designed for outdoors anyways, they're specifically designed for window displays.
It depends on the application. I like my shop well lit, and white fluorescent tubes work great for that. Also for a hallway, or front porch, driveway, backyard... those are great places for CFLs (I don't live in a cold area).
But for when I need light at the backyard (say, dinner with lots of people) I like a badass 70 to 400W HID. 150W metal halide lamps are small enough to fit in standard fixtures (those 300W reflectors), and give a shitload of light. Get the high CRI versions (I know 80+ CRI is "good enough" for a backyard) and you can easily replace a 500W halogen with that.
Agreed, but it's the manufacturer's fault too. Most people complain about CFLs giving out too little light, and it's true. A 20W CFL DOES NOT replace a 100W lightbulb. It can, given ideal conditions, but usually it doesn't.
So people are frustrated and go and get a 100W lightbulb for their front porch... which stays on all night.
That's why they're trying to ban incandescents.
I, for one, wouldn't ban them. I'd just tax them real high and make CFLs more attractive. That way you can have your incandescents for when you REALLY need an incandescent (think: fridge, bathroom, some closet. Those places where an incandescent lasts forever)
Gimme a break, I was 12 and they had screens 29" and larger. One of the Neo Geo machines had two giant screens, so big that it had a separate controls stand, a couple of feet away from the screens
Zelda and Final Fantasy are fun (if enjoy solving puzzles, exploring).
I see what you did there.
Seriously though, the nice thing about arcades was that there was always a bunch of kids your age you could play with. You just approach them and say "Hi can I play too?" and that was it. I know I did.
20+ and it's not the same anymore.
Then again, I own a comic book store and I see kids making new friends all the time at my store. "Wooow you like Naruto? I do too! Whats ur MSN address?"
Over 10 years ago. There are no arcades in my town anymore, save for a kids place with an XBOX inside a few arcade cabinets and some fight games. They were replaced by cyber-cafes (most kids have computers, but they go and pay for the hour just to enjoy LAN gaming, on a computer crappier than their own).
The best part of the arcades was the HUGE screen games with NeoGeo, the motorcycle race thing where you ride a motorcycle, the race game with force feedback controls, and the best of all, and not a video game, the air hockey.
I also remember a HUGE arcade cabinet with a HUGE SNES controlller - it was the SNES promo arcade where you could play super mario world (damn, if they had them today I would beat it with just 1 coin)
That's no longer the case, because now you can bring the advanced graphics home. Hence no reason to visit the arcade and blow 100 dollars worth of quarters. Technology advanced - obsolete crap died out.
LOL, but seriously, macs are way more expensive, because they're not imported or supported by Apple. The cheapest one is $2000 while I could get something similar from HP for $1000 or Asus for $800 or less.
Seriously, no. I'm tired of advertisements in disguise. I'm not pro-google, pro-microsoft, pro-whatever. I use whatever suits my needs. I don't have a problem running cool and trendy open source "apps", or commercial products if they do what I need.
I'm a photographer, so I use Windows and Lightroom (where I live Macs are expensive). I like games, so I have an XBOX. I have a smartphone: it's a Motorola Milestone. I have a server: it runs Oracle Solaris 11 Express I manage other servers: they run Debian.
For SOME really bad routers, abandoned by the manufacturer, it can be a good option. But for newer routers it doesn't add a lot. Well, it can be a print server if you have a router with USB (yeah, I fiddled 1 day with the thing until it worked).
Yes. If you stick to the "stable" release, it's 2 years old and basically not really "stable" as it tries to be a one-size-fits-all release, usualy aimed at whatever 3 or 4 models the actual developers of the project have (thousands of people participate in forums but they are "testers").
There's no "stable" release. There are hundreds of undocumented "builds" which fix some things and break others. I tried about 10 different versions until I found one that worked with my WRT600N and gave me 300mbps (the other ones didn't enable the 5GHz radio).
Not only that. A buggy firmware screwed up my NVRAM and I had to take my router apart and reset it via serial port (which is fun and I enjoy doing when I have free time, just not to my main router RIGHT WHEN I NEED IT).
For every DD-WRT release you want to try, you have to make a 30/30/30 reset (with the router ON, hold reset - 30 seconds, unplug the router, 30 seconds, plug it back in, 30 seconds, release reset). You CAN'T save the config file cause it's not compatible between different builds (did you say you didn't like reconfig?). Every tutorial out there Just Works for whoever wrote it - years ago on an unspecified build, which of course isn't the one you're running and it's not going to work with yours either.
IPv6 is NOT supported out of the box (no, it doesn't matter if it comes built-in. The web config doesn't have a web page to set up the ipv6 stuff, and not even popular tunnel brokers, like HE and Sixxs Just Work. You have to make them work. Some things you do through web config, others through broken, ugly startup scripts.
Don't get me wrong, I love DD-WRT. I use it, but it's not something I'd recommend to the average person. It goes way beyond "reset to factory defaults", it crosses the "keep your soldering iron ready" level.
Amen bro. This is especially true for Asian companies in general, and Japanese companies in particular.
I work for LG (electronics repair) and they have a very strict way of doing stuff. If you screw up, even a single digit in a 20-digit serial number, they cancel your order, don't pay, and bill you for the parts you used for them. Sony has a similar policy. It's fine by me, I just overbill them as much as I can. In the end I get more money from them than if they tried to do things right (and let you, you know, fix errors and resubmit your order?).
I think it's because of the Asian mindset (or stereotype?) of hard-working people who don't complain, and the social scale system. Anyone more important than you must exercise his power over you.
Then they try the same in the West and it usually doesn't go very well.
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I'm seeing a cruddy OS. It's called Android, I have it on my phone, and being linux and all, it runs fucking slow on a 600MHz processor (it takes TEN FUCKING SECONDS to load the SMS, and I don't even have games on it), reboots itself for no reason, 3G stops working, etc.
I'm also seeing a "cruddy web browser": they try to force whathever THEY like into us, by not supporting, gee, H.264 in Chrome? They say it's not a standard, it's not free, whatever. Fuck them. I live in Argentina, and we use ISDB-T with H.264 as the default codec. It's a standard here. They also bought a codec (VP8) and gave it away for free, just to screw everyone else. I'm not sure, but I think this article would be of interest to you, since you seem to be so kind about linking to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumping_(pricing_policy). Also: they try to shove Chrome down your throat ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Chrome comes with a default search engine: GOOGLE! And people complain about IE9 using Bing as the default, What the fuck is wrong with you guys?
Third, a middle of the road office suite? Office is way beyond whatever that bullshit "google docs" is trying to force on us. Have you used Word? Have you used that crap Google calls a "text editor", which is really just a mid-90s HTML editor, with some collaborative shit added on top? Really? I can't even use my own fonts, or adjust margins lines so it won't print 1 page for just half a line of text. BTW, whenever someone attachs a .doc file, Gmail wants me to open it with Docs. Gee, isn't that a monopoly? Microsoft was sued by having IE as the default browser, Google isn't being sued by 'suggesting' you use their product. I don't even see how to make it open files through Office Live, which is microsoft's answer to Google Docs, should Microsoft sue them for using their position blah blah blah...
I know this is slashdot, full of anti-microsoft google-cocksuckers or apple-fanboi-fags but dude, seriously, just LOOK at what google is doing. Your argument is "google is good because microsoft is bad". What are you, 15? Or do you work for google? Really. And let's not even get started on privacy. Try to sign up for a Gmail acount. Guess what? Google wants your phone number! What the fuck is that? Hotmail doesn't ask me for a phone number to have just an email account.
Disclaimer: I don't use Office at home. I have a student license of Windows. In college I worked mostly on Google Docs, and my mail is hosted in Google Apps. I run Solaris, Linux or Windows - whichever is the best for the job. I run Windows because I'm a hobbyist photographer, and I'm used to Adobe Lightroom.
LOL, dude, don't worry. This is slashdot, we are anti microsoft, pro linux, and pro apple. Nerds don't have a sense of sarcasm.
I've got karma to burn anyway.
By definition, Microsoft isn't a monopoly. They aren't the only operating system in town, they just happen to be the most successful with a vast majority of the market share. That's not because they are erecting large barriers to entry, it's just because the other operating systems aren't as smart as theirs.
See what I did there?
Yes. Because it's so much more convenient to:
1. Fire up the scanning program
2. set up to black and white
3. scan
4. look for the file
5. zip it
6. attach it
7. send it
as opposed to
1. dial the number
2. press SEND
do you realize how much of a douche you sound?
I never get the point about rats leaving a sinking ship. Where the fuck are the rats going anyway???
I assume you can't drive then? Or go to malls? Or to restaurants? Or use a flashlight? Or come out of your basement? Hell, halogens are everywhere.
Oh wait, I know! Dude, you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to look at the things those lamps are lighting. Not the light bulb!
Try a "more expensive" lamp once. I know most of my cheap lamps that had an premature death had solder problems (!). I took them apart, and gave them a quick retouch with my iron, and they worked again. I think it's the stupid lead-free solder which is too brittle.
Our first CFL (back in 1999) lasted for well over 6 years, on every night. It was a Philips, made in the Netherlands or some european country, and it had an electromagnetic ballast. It was rated for 12000 hours. They even have lamps for 20000 hours. Most of the lamps I see now, even from Philips, are rated at 3000 hours, what the fuck?
For even better results, and to be even more eco-friendy, you can try PL lamps. These predate the CFLs, they're just the lamp part of a CFL. The ballast is in the fixture, and you can use an electromagnetic ballast for that (no need to go with electronics crap). Yes, they blink a few times until they turn on, but if it's for a front porch which will stay on all night, that's not an issue. Anyway, the nice thing about PL lamps is that they're not targeted at consumers, they're a little more expensive, but are better made. They also come in various sizes and shapes. All of them are a U-shaped tube. Some are just one, others are 2 stacked, 2 side by side, 3 in a triangle-shape. They're available in many sizes from 5W to 36W.
Oh yes, they run hot. Too hot to touch. And they take over 10 minutes to reach full brightness.
I have them on my store (Philips PL-C 26W 840/2P). They give out 1800lm which is even higher than a 26W CFL, which gives 1500lm. Protip: use a 20W ballast, not a 30W one. Take a look at the ballast, 20W ones usually support 18-26W, while 30W ballasts are rated for 30W lamps ONLY (disclaimer: I live in a 220V country).
I meant that many people already have this kind of fixtures installed, and it's not difficult to retrofit them to use an external ballast. We're talking outdoors... there's always room for a big bad ballast. I prefer the transformer kind, those last forever. But High CRI (90+, say, Philips 70 or 150W/940 -- 90+ CRI 4000K) lamps need electronics ballasts... they're not designed for outdoors anyways, they're specifically designed for window displays.
It depends on the application. I like my shop well lit, and white fluorescent tubes work great for that. Also for a hallway, or front porch, driveway, backyard... those are great places for CFLs (I don't live in a cold area).
But for when I need light at the backyard (say, dinner with lots of people) I like a badass 70 to 400W HID. 150W metal halide lamps are small enough to fit in standard fixtures (those 300W reflectors), and give a shitload of light. Get the high CRI versions (I know 80+ CRI is "good enough" for a backyard) and you can easily replace a 500W halogen with that.
I know. I look at lumens when I buy my lamps. But most people don't know what a lumen is.
In fact I have a store, I even calculated the amount of light there. And I use a combination on FL (not compact, PL type), and 50W halogens.
Agreed, but it's the manufacturer's fault too. Most people complain about CFLs giving out too little light, and it's true. A 20W CFL DOES NOT replace a 100W lightbulb. It can, given ideal conditions, but usually it doesn't.
So people are frustrated and go and get a 100W lightbulb for their front porch... which stays on all night.
That's why they're trying to ban incandescents.
I, for one, wouldn't ban them. I'd just tax them real high and make CFLs more attractive. That way you can have your incandescents for when you REALLY need an incandescent (think: fridge, bathroom, some closet. Those places where an incandescent lasts forever)
Gimme a break, I was 12 and they had screens 29" and larger. One of the Neo Geo machines had two giant screens, so big that it had a separate controls stand, a couple of feet away from the screens
At home all I had a was 14".
And the SNES arcade's controller were really huge: http://www.mamedb.com/cpanels.small/nss_con3.jpeg
I see what you did there.
Seriously though, the nice thing about arcades was that there was always a bunch of kids your age you could play with. You just approach them and say "Hi can I play too?" and that was it. I know I did.
20+ and it's not the same anymore.
Then again, I own a comic book store and I see kids making new friends all the time at my store. "Wooow you like Naruto? I do too! Whats ur MSN address?"
Over 10 years ago. There are no arcades in my town anymore, save for a kids place with an XBOX inside a few arcade cabinets and some fight games. They were replaced by cyber-cafes (most kids have computers, but they go and pay for the hour just to enjoy LAN gaming, on a computer crappier than their own).
The best part of the arcades was the HUGE screen games with NeoGeo, the motorcycle race thing where you ride a motorcycle, the race game with force feedback controls, and the best of all, and not a video game, the air hockey.
I also remember a HUGE arcade cabinet with a HUGE SNES controlller - it was the SNES promo arcade where you could play super mario world (damn, if they had them today I would beat it with just 1 coin)
wow - antisocial much?
So, you think playing online with random strangers with no face is the same as meeting new, actual people at the arcade?
I have good memories of myself as a kid at the arcade. None of which have sticky floors or crime (maybe arcades were different in my country?).
Sorry, online gaming just doesn't do it for me.
LOL, but seriously, macs are way more expensive, because they're not imported or supported by Apple. The cheapest one is $2000 while I could get something similar from HP for $1000 or Asus for $800 or less.
Seriously, no. I'm tired of advertisements in disguise. I'm not pro-google, pro-microsoft, pro-whatever. I use whatever suits my needs. I don't have a problem running cool and trendy open source "apps", or commercial products if they do what I need.
I'm a photographer, so I use Windows and Lightroom (where I live Macs are expensive).
I like games, so I have an XBOX.
I have a smartphone: it's a Motorola Milestone.
I have a server: it runs Oracle Solaris 11 Express
I manage other servers: they run Debian.
See what I mean?
Gee! Some attention-whore journalist/blogger (I think that's redundant) claims google is dead, it MUST BE TRUE!
I won't believe it until Netcraft confirms it.
apt-get update && apt-get -y --force-yes upgrade && reboot
OOPS! sources.list said "testing" instead of "squeeze", now your box is hosed, because debian moved releases and you didn't do a manual dist-upgrade
It adds no fancy bells and whistles, really.
For SOME really bad routers, abandoned by the manufacturer, it can be a good option. But for newer routers it doesn't add a lot. Well, it can be a print server if you have a router with USB (yeah, I fiddled 1 day with the thing until it worked).
Yes. If you stick to the "stable" release, it's 2 years old and basically not really "stable" as it tries to be a one-size-fits-all release, usualy aimed at whatever 3 or 4 models the actual developers of the project have (thousands of people participate in forums but they are "testers").
There's no "stable" release. There are hundreds of undocumented "builds" which fix some things and break others. I tried about 10 different versions until I found one that worked with my WRT600N and gave me 300mbps (the other ones didn't enable the 5GHz radio).
Not only that. A buggy firmware screwed up my NVRAM and I had to take my router apart and reset it via serial port (which is fun and I enjoy doing when I have free time, just not to my main router RIGHT WHEN I NEED IT).
For every DD-WRT release you want to try, you have to make a 30/30/30 reset (with the router ON, hold reset - 30 seconds, unplug the router, 30 seconds, plug it back in, 30 seconds, release reset). You CAN'T save the config file cause it's not compatible between different builds (did you say you didn't like reconfig?). Every tutorial out there Just Works for whoever wrote it - years ago on an unspecified build, which of course isn't the one you're running and it's not going to work with yours either.
IPv6 is NOT supported out of the box (no, it doesn't matter if it comes built-in. The web config doesn't have a web page to set up the ipv6 stuff, and not even popular tunnel brokers, like HE and Sixxs Just Work. You have to make them work. Some things you do through web config, others through broken, ugly startup scripts.
Don't get me wrong, I love DD-WRT. I use it, but it's not something I'd recommend to the average person. It goes way beyond "reset to factory defaults", it crosses the "keep your soldering iron ready" level.
Amen bro. This is especially true for Asian companies in general, and Japanese companies in particular.
I work for LG (electronics repair) and they have a very strict way of doing stuff. If you screw up, even a single digit in a 20-digit serial number, they cancel your order, don't pay, and bill you for the parts you used for them. Sony has a similar policy. It's fine by me, I just overbill them as much as I can. In the end I get more money from them than if they tried to do things right (and let you, you know, fix errors and resubmit your order?).
I think it's because of the Asian mindset (or stereotype?) of hard-working people who don't complain, and the social scale system. Anyone more important than you must exercise his power over you.
Then they try the same in the West and it usually doesn't go very well.
Ah yes, the good ol' "security through obscurity" way...
Don't forget to burn-in for about 3 days.