Many Slashdot readers may know this, but there will be a good number who don't... It's not mentioned in the linked articles, but you can go to http://www.bricklin.com/history/vcexecutable.htm and download Visicalc.
With the time spent generating a fake (and, yes, amusing - don't get me wrong) IRC chat, this seems to be more of what a typical/. poster would write in response to an article.
This, as of itself, isn't really article material...
My wife uses my Linux box without difficulties (I never 'trained' her). My 9 year old uses it on and off. He keeps asking me to install it in his PC, but he runs so many different Windows games that there would be no way he'd be happy.
Linux isn't necessarily "difficult". It is a bit "different" though. It suits some. But not others. It's all about choice.:)
Let he keep Windows. Use Linux/OS X/Windows the best you can, as long as you can get the work done that you need to get done.
The site www.halliburton.com is running Apache/1.3.27 (Unix) (Red-Hat/Linux) DAV/1.0.2 PHP/4.1.2 mod_perl/1.24_01 mod_throttle/3.1.2 on Linux.
Hey, and whitehouse.gov was running Linux, as well! However, now netcraft is reporting " The site whitehouse.gov is running unknown on unknown."...
I see Solaris showing up every other line in the History table below the summary, so at least it won't be Microsoft Windows (with its inherent "overcharge")!
Doing a bit of math, that means to download a Linux.iso set (assume 3 CDs at 650MB each), it would take nearly 12 "bucket fills"! And at 8 hours a bucket, that's a bit over 94 hours (or nearly four days, to you and me).
However, if you actually buy the product, it's not illegal.
You might want to refine your position a bit. Microsoft has gone to court and got injunctions against people who 'mod' their X-Boxes.
I certainly don't agree that it is right for Microsoft to be so heavy-handed with what they sell, but they seem to have the force of law on their side at the moment, so it would appear that it is illegal...
Unfortunately, the camera mod could be tied into the DMCA, in which case, you would be considered a criminal.
I, personally, think that this is a neat hack (in the pure sense of the word), but I am sure that Walgreens is not charging $10 to own the camera, but more of a 'rental fee' for its use. Sort of like going to Blockbuster and thinking "Hey! A $5 movie! Cool!" and keeping it.
Walgreens probably won't get bent out of shape over a miniscule number of these leaving circulation (as the 'mainstream' folks don't have the inclination or abilities as the average/.er), but they might get upset about plans being put on the web...
P.S. Who modded the original poster (segment) a troll? I think it is a valid point, and isn't inflammatory...
Yes, they had internet access (through proxies and firewalls). I think that the Eond Of Life for The Win 9x series prompted the migration to Win2k. It was started two years ago, or so, but General Motors is a large company, so things progress slowly...
Perhaps this shows why there are so many Windows IT staff is needed (compared to *nix IT staff). Well, plus worms and viruses.:)
Oh, I agree with you on that. The only reason that we would even consider upgrading the main OS on the robots is to get an improved boot-up time. With Win95, it is approx 4 minutes. On XP it is supposed to use some shortcuts to reduce that to about 1-2 minutes. And in a factory running production, minutes can be critical. However, it isn't even an option (which is probably for the better - why open a new can of worms?)
Also, it should be noted that the robots only boot Win95 for the GUI. They run VxWorks and run their "real" robot software in a RTOS that communicates back and forth with Win95 via internal TCP/IP.
Until just recently (read: months), our standard desktop was still Win95! They just finished switching everyone to Win2k. However the KUKA robots we use to build cars still run Win95 for the GUI, and probably always will, as the hardware won't support much higher...
Now, I am not talking that Linux has to be in control of the robot. In industrial robots, Windows is often just used as the 'front end' GUI for the operators and technicians. KUKA and ABB both use Windows for this. Why can they not use Linux instead? It is certainly a very capable OS for a GUI system that needs to communicate TCP/IP to something like VxWorks (on the robot control end).
I think that the lure and attraction of a royalty-free OS would have had industrial manufacturers already on Linux. Corporate inertia is what is really driving the Windows GUI on industrial robots.
Of industrial robots, I know that KUKA uses Windows 95, and now Windows XP in their robot controllers.
At one time ABB also used windows in what they called the "top hat", which was little more than an industrial Win 95 laptop supported above the controller. I am not sure if their new products have changed.
The third major player is Fanuc. I worked for these guys for a little over 4 years. They use thier own OS.
Working with the Windows-based robots has had some issues (BSOD, etc.), and I think it would be nice to have some of these running Linux. All the Win portion is used for is/was the GUI, anyway, so the real path execution is handled separately. Perhaps some of the industry heavies are considering Linux already...
Re:What I am surprised by NOT seeing yet
on
The Robots are Coming
·
· Score: 4, Informative
In fact, McDonalds did a very specific test of robotics in their food lines. It was a Fanuc A-510 that had its cast components replaced so it had a stainless steel body (for wash-down purposes). It also had the regular grease replaced with non-toxic grease. It was edible, but NOT tasty!:P You can see archive.orgs cache of a page that mentions the A-510's successor, the A-520i, here. Needless to say, it never made it past the initial study.
Also, to be technical, there is a difference between the term "robot" and what is called "hard automation". I have seen people claim that a dishwasher is a robot. It is not. A robot is programmable and multi-functional. A dishwasher has a single purpose (two if you count torturing the cat). The same is applied to factory automation that is driven by automated equipmet runnign off of cams or pneumatic/hydraulic cylinders. Those are "hard automation" devices, as they perform a single function until they are mechanically altered.
Slashdot Mirror
Many Slashdot readers may know this, but there will be a good number who don't... It's not mentioned in the linked articles, but you can go to http://www.bricklin.com/history/vcexecutable.htm and download Visicalc.
The parent post here isn't "offtopic". The post was just pointing out what (s)he thought was an amusing part of the dialog.
Oh well, it was just an AC, so it didn't affect anyone's karma, if that was important....
With the time spent generating a fake (and, yes, amusing - don't get me wrong) IRC chat, this seems to be more of what a typical /. poster would write in response to an article.
This, as of itself, isn't really article material...
I haven't been 100% accurate.
I received an email from my sister-in-law from her work, and the address looked suspicious (one of those weird-looking "letter and number" jumbles.
I deleted it. It happens.
Could this be considered a case of "putting the squeeze on the Sharman"?
Mr. Whipple will not be happy about this!
(Sorry, I resisted as long as I could...)
My wife uses my Linux box without difficulties (I never 'trained' her). My 9 year old uses it on and off. He keeps asking me to install it in his PC, but he runs so many different Windows games that there would be no way he'd be happy.
Linux isn't necessarily "difficult". It is a bit "different" though. It suits some. But not others. It's all about choice. :)
Let he keep Windows. Use Linux/OS X/Windows the best you can, as long as you can get the work done that you need to get done.
I found a way to upgrade not just my video card, but my whole PC!
It is right here! ;)
I read somewhere that it was PowerPoint that did that...
Errrr... Don't you mean exactly 50% (by definition of IQ)
Maybe we should do a survey similar to this one so that we can learn from Windows users as well.
Yeah,and we can ask questions like "What is the BEST feature of AOL?", and "Do you remember what you agreed to in the last 20 EULAs?"
Hey, and whitehouse.gov was running Linux, as well! However, now netcraft is reporting " The site whitehouse.gov is running unknown on unknown."...
I see Solaris showing up every other line in the History table below the summary, so at least it won't be Microsoft Windows (with its inherent "overcharge")!
Somehow, I think that Iraq will use whatever OS Haliburton uses (and be overcharged for it!) :P
YIKES!
Doing a bit of math, that means to download a Linux .iso set (assume 3 CDs at 650MB each), it would take nearly 12 "bucket fills"! And at 8 hours a bucket, that's a bit over 94 hours (or nearly four days, to you and me).
Oops! I always see it *after* I click "submit".. :|
I should have stated that Microsoft has gone after people who PROMOTE or SUPPLY modifications. Not the users (like the RIAA seems to prefer).
You might want to refine your position a bit. Microsoft has gone to court and got injunctions against people who 'mod' their X-Boxes.
I certainly don't agree that it is right for Microsoft to be so heavy-handed with what they sell, but they seem to have the force of law on their side at the moment, so it would appear that it is illegal...
Unfortunately, the camera mod could be tied into the DMCA, in which case, you would be considered a criminal.
I, personally, think that this is a neat hack (in the pure sense of the word), but I am sure that Walgreens is not charging $10 to own the camera, but more of a 'rental fee' for its use. Sort of like going to Blockbuster and thinking "Hey! A $5 movie! Cool!" and keeping it.
Walgreens probably won't get bent out of shape over a miniscule number of these leaving circulation (as the 'mainstream' folks don't have the inclination or abilities as the average /.er), but they might get upset about plans being put on the web...
P.S. Who modded the original poster (segment) a troll? I think it is a valid point, and isn't inflammatory...
Yes, they had internet access (through proxies and firewalls). I think that the Eond Of Life for The Win 9x series prompted the migration to Win2k. It was started two years ago, or so, but General Motors is a large company, so things progress slowly...
Perhaps this shows why there are so many Windows IT staff is needed (compared to *nix IT staff). Well, plus worms and viruses. :)
The link to the trailer is in .wmf format! :(
And I am runing Linux in a Windows world... [sigh]
Oh, I agree with you on that. The only reason that we would even consider upgrading the main OS on the robots is to get an improved boot-up time. With Win95, it is approx 4 minutes. On XP it is supposed to use some shortcuts to reduce that to about 1-2 minutes. And in a factory running production, minutes can be critical. However, it isn't even an option (which is probably for the better - why open a new can of worms?)
Also, it should be noted that the robots only boot Win95 for the GUI. They run VxWorks and run their "real" robot software in a RTOS that communicates back and forth with Win95 via internal TCP/IP.
Until just recently (read: months), our standard desktop was still Win95! They just finished switching everyone to Win2k. However the KUKA robots we use to build cars still run Win95 for the GUI, and probably always will, as the hardware won't support much higher...
Now, here is the perfect way to keep my wife away from my porn! :)
Now, I am not talking that Linux has to be in control of the robot. In industrial robots, Windows is often just used as the 'front end' GUI for the operators and technicians. KUKA and ABB both use Windows for this. Why can they not use Linux instead? It is certainly a very capable OS for a GUI system that needs to communicate TCP/IP to something like VxWorks (on the robot control end).
I think that the lure and attraction of a royalty-free OS would have had industrial manufacturers already on Linux. Corporate inertia is what is really driving the Windows GUI on industrial robots.
Of industrial robots, I know that KUKA uses Windows 95, and now Windows XP in their robot controllers.
At one time ABB also used windows in what they called the "top hat", which was little more than an industrial Win 95 laptop supported above the controller. I am not sure if their new products have changed.
The third major player is Fanuc. I worked for these guys for a little over 4 years. They use thier own OS.
Working with the Windows-based robots has had some issues (BSOD, etc.), and I think it would be nice to have some of these running Linux. All the Win portion is used for is/was the GUI, anyway, so the real path execution is handled separately. Perhaps some of the industry heavies are considering Linux already...
In fact, McDonalds did a very specific test of robotics in their food lines. It was a Fanuc A-510 that had its cast components replaced so it had a stainless steel body (for wash-down purposes). It also had the regular grease replaced with non-toxic grease. It was edible, but NOT tasty! :P You can see archive.orgs cache of a page that mentions the A-510's successor, the A-520i, here. Needless to say, it never made it past the initial study.
Also, to be technical, there is a difference between the term "robot" and what is called "hard automation". I have seen people claim that a dishwasher is a robot. It is not. A robot is programmable and multi-functional. A dishwasher has a single purpose (two if you count torturing the cat). The same is applied to factory automation that is driven by automated equipmet runnign off of cams or pneumatic/hydraulic cylinders. Those are "hard automation" devices, as they perform a single function until they are mechanically altered.