...But, I like flossing! And I like linux. Alot. (I run it on multiple machines every day.) I'm no zelot or anything, but the concept of 'Linux isn't liked' or 'Linux is for power users only' went out the window around two years ago. My computer illiterate mother runs linux, and tells me constantly how much she likes KDe more than XP. So, remember kids, flossing is fun when it's painless, and the floss tastes like candy!
Ok, I'm not a Linux Zelot. (I only play one on TV.) I'm also not a Winserf. I'm an engineer, in the purest sense. So to me, this is nothing more than a problem to be solved, not a religious issue. It's not even about binary drivers... it's about meeting client specifications and needs. I look at it like this. If Joe Linux user was my client, and my job was to bring him a Linux solution to let him run his SLI Nvidia card, I'd approach it like this. Linux would be a subcontractor, and FSF would either be a consultatant, or another subcontractor. After having a meeting with both were these issues were brought up, I would simply do the following.
I would write a very nice, simple kernel module that completely complied with the GPL. It's purpose would be to facilitate the loading of binary drivers. It would include built in security, and the driver would be loaded in userspace. Now, the obvious question here is how would this help any, since the binary driver would still have to dynamically link against my code. Well, the binary driver would be loaded by a LGPL'ed program that linked against my module (also in userspace). This loader application isn't a part of the kernel, though it links to the module I wrote. The binary driver doesn't link against the kernel, it links against my loader application. No kernel taining, and it alos allows for a good deal of security, if I wrote the dirver correctly.
What would be very nice here, is the fact that NDISWRAPPER be turned into a loader app the conformed to my module's API (Which would by and large be the kernel's driver API) This would also alow Microsoft to, should they so choose, work with a FOSS organization to write a loader for native windows drivers. In fact, if they wanted to be really fussy, they could write a minimalistic loader, which they link against, that loaded a binary app that loads a binary driver. Why not?
Sure, this solution is like killing a fly with a hammer, but all good engineering solutions are. The engineer just needs to calculate the correct amount of force to be use to only just squish the fly, then add 20%.
Someone hit the breaks here. We're talking DELL. The same people who charge $$ for Windows XP are more then capable of, say, I dunno, calling up Novel, and saying, "We want SuSE, with DVD support, Cedaga pre installed, our logos somewhere, and a very nice, easy to use flash instructional video. Oh, and set Openoffice's file format to.doc while you're at it." I mean, that's NOTHING for Novel, who could get the DVD code licensed, have everything on the up and up, and have it all custom ready for Dell for a third the price of XP (per unit).
See, there's a huge difference between "Linux on your desktop" and "Linux pre installed by a massive corporation." They already do customizations to XP, so why not linux? The problems they're facing with linux or windows are *exactly* the same. They need custom programs preinstalled, custom settings, and custom logos. I think Dell would have a bit of a healthier profit margin (on the OS itself) if they used linux, since they could still sell it for 25% less than XP and be making over 50% more on ever preinstalled Linux OS box sold.
Well, why that might be true for some, I've not yet seen any DRM software coming from the OSS camp. You all run DRM enabled AIM 6.6.6, I'll sit over here nice an happy running my gAIM 7.0 on my 23 teraherts AMD Zues 5400k+ with my 1.2 jigawatt powersuply. It'll run nice and fast.
Oh, and that's not to mention linux not having DRM. And before you tell me that I won't be able to play my DVD's, or mp3's, or whatever, I'll point out OggVorbis for audio files (no DRM in that, nor will there be) and I'll also point out the simple fact that 8 out of 10 hackers run linux. How could they live without their StarWars DVD's, or Doom3: The Rock's Back, Again.
That's a little over kill. Still, if you pay any attention, normally the GPU is running flat out, while the CPU is waiting for the GPU to finish rendering. Sure, drop the CPU speed by half, and it won't run well, but half is a HUGE drop. How about using the free CPU cycles for the good of the GPU. That's my point. Even if it's only 100 free cycles per frame, you would SEE the difference.
I'd rather see GPU's ofloading thier work to the system CPU. There's no *good* way to do this. So, why not run this isn reverse? If it's possible to speed up general processing, why can they speed up graphics processing? Especially since my CPU hardly does anything when I'm playing a game; it has to wait on the graphics card.
So, what about it ATI? Or will thi be an NVIDIA innovation?
Well, atleast now we don't have to wait 6 months for the FBI to look through the code, and find out his name... I really think this was some 17 year old who had nothing better to do, and was pissed, b/c SCO was messing with his Fav. OS, and decided to get himself slashdot-ed. Looks like it worked....
Then again.... My Sys-Admin's name's Andy.. and he did seem pretty pissed about the SCO thing.... and he HATES M$..... (Cleaning viruses all day out of computers tends to sour one towards M$)....He's also a programmer......*Ideas run rampant*
I think it was a lack of a Commie Threat (Yeah, the Space Race), and a;ack of funding. Do we want to go back? Well, let's start a public petition to go back to the moon... get people excited, hold rallies, and all that. Then we'll get there, I garrentee!
So, does Nasa like these blatent StarTrek References? I mean, I half expected a screen shot of the TOS Enterprise =p. Oh, I love ST as much as anyone else.. but I mean, isn't this a little overboard? Sounds like a self-fullfilling prophesy to me.
......Wait. I was playing around with a random string theory, and I got a feeling in my GUT that it was time for a doughnut nucleus, or 2. However, when I pulled out my Uber Calculator, and tried to test it, all it said was, "A Suffusion of yellow...." Realitivistically speaking, of course.
So, the long of it is that Sience is really Sci-Fi; and reality is nothing more than snackfood.
Ok, it's racist pigs like YOU that started both world wars, not Germans. Oh, and Hitler wasn't a German. Just an FYI. Honestly, the only group I'm predujiced towards are bigots like you. Does it really matter WHERE something was made? I'm a patriot, I love this country. Because I love this country, I pay attention to it's History... and anyone know that this country was FOUNDED by people from other countries. KDE is a good desktop manager, I like it! Gnome is good too... as soon as I get a distro with the latest gnome, I'm gunna try that out. However, KDE let me customize to my patriotic heart's content... with all the anti-anti racial slogans I want... (Like: "Hug a Jew... kill a KKK member.") So, if you think I'm unpatriotic, call the Dept. of Homeland security, and report me as a terrorist... *mutters curses under his breath*
I really can't believe people like you still exist.... *sigh*
I agree. However, the only issue would be, how are you going to know, if people don't tell you how their software does things? I could write a piece of software, that uses your patented algorithm for burning CD's... and in the info about it, say, "The method This uses for burning CD's is a top secret formula invented by the ancient hindu God Shiva, and given to use mere mortals over the internet in coded transmissions, every tuesday for the last 14 years. It is special, because it uses magic to turn your cd-R into a floppy disk of great capacity once in the drive." How are you going to know that I'm using a packet method for writting it, that you patented? I could claim it's something I invented, or I could stand by the Hindu God story... you'd never know.
Now, with that said, I will point out that I really do agree with you, and I think that what I described is unlikely.. then again, some flexability might be needed.
That's what I don't get. Why was Linux mentioned? What impact will this have on Linux users, over Windows users? Windows has Roxio Direct CD Built in, for crying out loud. Linux doesn't. Sure, there are tools, like cdrdao, k3b, X-CDRoast, etc that are commonly included in the distributions, but no more so than what comes bundled with a Mac, or a Windows box.
Maybe I'm just a cynical moron, but I think that ever since SCO, everyone feels that the only way to get people to read the news is to mention something about Linux getting in trouble. In this case, WINDOWS, not Linux is the one that could face some (alibiet small) legal troubles. Anyway, how many Linux users do you know that will actually care? This one won't... *notes the DVD playing on the background of his Linux Desktop* See what I mean?
'Bit' torrent... heh, how apt. Atleast for what I'm getting. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting 2 k/s or LESS for the last 5 hours.. still 0%... 4meg out of 2045meg.... Umm.. Anyone know how to help here? I mean this seems a VERY poor way to download 3 full ISOs... Oh, and FYI I'm on T-1. Nope, no badwidth limits. I download full ISO's off FTP in 30 minutes or less... why can't they just give us an FTP? Jeeze...
I'm getting 2 k/s. This is rediculous... Any one else having this issue? I mean, I woulda thought there would eb plenty of people downloading.. and I could get a decent connection.... max upload seems to be about 7 k/s.... but I'm on a T-1 line... with no bandwidth limitations...So, whats up here guys?
Slashdot Mirror
...But, I like flossing! And I like linux. Alot. (I run it on multiple machines every day.) I'm no zelot or anything, but the concept of 'Linux isn't liked' or 'Linux is for power users only' went out the window around two years ago. My computer illiterate mother runs linux, and tells me constantly how much she likes KDe more than XP. So, remember kids, flossing is fun when it's painless, and the floss tastes like candy!
Ok, I'm not a Linux Zelot. (I only play one on TV.) I'm also not a Winserf. I'm an engineer, in the purest sense. So to me, this is nothing more than a problem to be solved, not a religious issue. It's not even about binary drivers... it's about meeting client specifications and needs. I look at it like this. If Joe Linux user was my client, and my job was to bring him a Linux solution to let him run his SLI Nvidia card, I'd approach it like this. Linux would be a subcontractor, and FSF would either be a consultatant, or another subcontractor. After having a meeting with both were these issues were brought up, I would simply do the following.
I would write a very nice, simple kernel module that completely complied with the GPL. It's purpose would be to facilitate the loading of binary drivers. It would include built in security, and the driver would be loaded in userspace. Now, the obvious question here is how would this help any, since the binary driver would still have to dynamically link against my code. Well, the binary driver would be loaded by a LGPL'ed program that linked against my module (also in userspace). This loader application isn't a part of the kernel, though it links to the module I wrote. The binary driver doesn't link against the kernel, it links against my loader application. No kernel taining, and it alos allows for a good deal of security, if I wrote the dirver correctly.
What would be very nice here, is the fact that NDISWRAPPER be turned into a loader app the conformed to my module's API (Which would by and large be the kernel's driver API) This would also alow Microsoft to, should they so choose, work with a FOSS organization to write a loader for native windows drivers. In fact, if they wanted to be really fussy, they could write a minimalistic loader, which they link against, that loaded a binary app that loads a binary driver. Why not?
Sure, this solution is like killing a fly with a hammer, but all good engineering solutions are. The engineer just needs to calculate the correct amount of force to be use to only just squish the fly, then add 20%.
Someone hit the breaks here. We're talking DELL. The same people who charge $$ for Windows XP are more then capable of, say, I dunno, calling up Novel, and saying, "We want SuSE, with DVD support, Cedaga pre installed, our logos somewhere, and a very nice, easy to use flash instructional video. Oh, and set Openoffice's file format to .doc while you're at it." I mean, that's NOTHING for Novel, who could get the DVD code licensed, have everything on the up and up, and have it all custom ready for Dell for a third the price of XP (per unit).
See, there's a huge difference between "Linux on your desktop" and "Linux pre installed by a massive corporation." They already do customizations to XP, so why not linux? The problems they're facing with linux or windows are *exactly* the same. They need custom programs preinstalled, custom settings, and custom logos. I think Dell would have a bit of a healthier profit margin (on the OS itself) if they used linux, since they could still sell it for 25% less than XP and be making over 50% more on ever preinstalled Linux OS box sold.
Well, why that might be true for some, I've not yet seen any DRM software coming from the OSS camp. You all run DRM enabled AIM 6.6.6, I'll sit over here nice an happy running my gAIM 7.0 on my 23 teraherts AMD Zues 5400k+ with my 1.2 jigawatt powersuply. It'll run nice and fast.
Oh, and that's not to mention linux not having DRM. And before you tell me that I won't be able to play my DVD's, or mp3's, or whatever, I'll point out OggVorbis for audio files (no DRM in that, nor will there be) and I'll also point out the simple fact that 8 out of 10 hackers run linux. How could they live without their StarWars DVD's, or Doom3: The Rock's Back, Again.
Silly Consumer, DRM's for Little Girly Men.
--Macguyvok
That's a little over kill. Still, if you pay any attention, normally the GPU is running flat out, while the CPU is waiting for the GPU to finish rendering. Sure, drop the CPU speed by half, and it won't run well, but half is a HUGE drop. How about using the free CPU cycles for the good of the GPU. That's my point. Even if it's only 100 free cycles per frame, you would SEE the difference.
I'd rather see GPU's ofloading thier work to the system CPU. There's no *good* way to do this. So, why not run this isn reverse? If it's possible to speed up general processing, why can they speed up graphics processing? Especially since my CPU hardly does anything when I'm playing a game; it has to wait on the graphics card.
So, what about it ATI? Or will thi be an NVIDIA innovation?
Actually, the real question is, "Would we all come to the conclusion God reads Slashdot?"
"If he were telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us." "Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you."
That's my take on it.
"...And really bad eggs... Drink up me hearties, Yo Ho!"
Well, atleast now we don't have to wait 6 months for the FBI to look through the code, and find out his name... I really think this was some 17 year old who had nothing better to do, and was pissed, b/c SCO was messing with his Fav. OS, and decided to get himself slashdot-ed. Looks like it worked....
....He's also a programmer......*Ideas run rampant*
Then again.... My Sys-Admin's name's Andy.. and he did seem pretty pissed about the SCO thing.... and he HATES M$..... (Cleaning viruses all day out of computers tends to sour one towards M$)
I think it was a lack of a Commie Threat (Yeah, the Space Race), and a ;ack of funding. Do we want to go back? Well, let's start a public petition to go back to the moon... get people excited, hold rallies, and all that. Then we'll get there, I garrentee!
Hmm.. Am I the only one that noticed something:
1st Shuttle built: Enterprize
New Class of Space Vehicle: Constellation
So, does Nasa like these blatent StarTrek References? I mean, I half expected a screen shot of the TOS Enterprise =p. Oh, I love ST as much as anyone else.. but I mean, isn't this a little overboard? Sounds like a self-fullfilling prophesy to me.
Heh... I've been waiting for the Golf War Series to get canceled... after all, I'm tired of them bringing back that Damned Bush Character ;)
......Wait. I was playing around with a random string theory, and I got a feeling in my GUT that it was time for a doughnut nucleus, or 2. However, when I pulled out my Uber Calculator, and tried to test it, all it said was, "A Suffusion of yellow...." Realitivistically speaking, of course. So, the long of it is that Sience is really Sci-Fi; and reality is nothing more than snackfood.
Ok, it's racist pigs like YOU that started both world wars, not Germans. Oh, and Hitler wasn't a German. Just an FYI. Honestly, the only group I'm predujiced towards are bigots like you. Does it really matter WHERE something was made? I'm a patriot, I love this country. Because I love this country, I pay attention to it's History... and anyone know that this country was FOUNDED by people from other countries. KDE is a good desktop manager, I like it! Gnome is good too... as soon as I get a distro with the latest gnome, I'm gunna try that out. However, KDE let me customize to my patriotic heart's content... with all the anti-anti racial slogans I want... (Like: "Hug a Jew... kill a KKK member.") So, if you think I'm unpatriotic, call the Dept. of Homeland security, and report me as a terrorist... *mutters curses under his breath*
I really can't believe people like you still exist.... *sigh*
I agree. However, the only issue would be, how are you going to know, if people don't tell you how their software does things? I could write a piece of software, that uses your patented algorithm for burning CD's... and in the info about it, say, "The method This uses for burning CD's is a top secret formula invented by the ancient hindu God Shiva, and given to use mere mortals over the internet in coded transmissions, every tuesday for the last 14 years. It is special, because it uses magic to turn your cd-R into a floppy disk of great capacity once in the drive." How are you going to know that I'm using a packet method for writting it, that you patented? I could claim it's something I invented, or I could stand by the Hindu God story... you'd never know. Now, with that said, I will point out that I really do agree with you, and I think that what I described is unlikely.. then again, some flexability might be needed.
That's what I don't get. Why was Linux mentioned? What impact will this have on Linux users, over Windows users? Windows has Roxio Direct CD Built in, for crying out loud. Linux doesn't. Sure, there are tools, like cdrdao, k3b, X-CDRoast, etc that are commonly included in the distributions, but no more so than what comes bundled with a Mac, or a Windows box. Maybe I'm just a cynical moron, but I think that ever since SCO, everyone feels that the only way to get people to read the news is to mention something about Linux getting in trouble. In this case, WINDOWS, not Linux is the one that could face some (alibiet small) legal troubles. Anyway, how many Linux users do you know that will actually care? This one won't... *notes the DVD playing on the background of his Linux Desktop* See what I mean?
'Bit' torrent... heh, how apt. Atleast for what I'm getting. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting 2 k/s or LESS for the last 5 hours.. still 0%... 4meg out of 2045meg.... Umm.. Anyone know how to help here? I mean this seems a VERY poor way to download 3 full ISOs... Oh, and FYI I'm on T-1. Nope, no badwidth limits. I download full ISO's off FTP in 30 minutes or less... why can't they just give us an FTP? Jeeze...
I'm getting 2 k/s. This is rediculous... Any one else having this issue? I mean, I woulda thought there would eb plenty of people downloading.. and I could get a decent connection.... max upload seems to be about 7 k/s.... but I'm on a T-1 line... with no bandwidth limitations...So, whats up here guys?