IE5 also has a nice webpage saver that saves all the files needed by the page in a separate dir, and redoes the links on the page to point to them. However, it pukes if there is one image that didn't load, and it inserts some random MS crap into the file it saves, including a comment that says the URL where the page was grabbed from (useful), and a few MSHTML thingies (not very useful).
In all honesty, you're not going to get away going from dead tree to digital paper without proofreading at least once. There is no OCR package that perfect. Same goes for your data entry folks.
I've been thinking about this for a while... can't you just scan and OCR it once, nudge the paper on the scanner, scan and OCR it again, and then use a script to compare the two files? You may use more than two scannings if accuracy is that important.
Something that's been common in the "warez" ebook scene is that people will often correct mistakes in the book as they're reading it, and then spread the corrected version. After a period of time, the book becomes more and more solid.
Ok, how many of us just opened another window, went to Freshmeat, and spent 5 minutes searching for such a utility, hoping to score some Karma for a link to it?:)
Well... it's more of a way for Slashdot to make money through a referral program. I guess it's an ad as well. If you don't want to help Slashdot, you can buy the book by just going directly to ThinkGeek. Better yet, you can get the book a lot cheaper here.
Because some people need more than two or three domain names. Witness GeekIssues. Originally, I registered geekissues.org. However, when Register.com was having their $20 domain sale, I went and registered geekissues.com too. Why? After all, geekissues.com just redirects to the same site (and changes the URL to.org, since I'm non-profit). Two reasons:
Someday, I may decide to sell T-shirts or something, or go commercial in some other way. This seems a bit far-fetched to me now, but who knows what I'll be thinking 5 years from now...
(This is the real reason.) Suppose my site becomes semi-popular. Obviously, someone is going to register geekissues.com. What's going to happen then? 10% of my traffic will go to that site, because a lot of people don't even know that something besides.com exists.
So I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite...
BTW, posted with a recent Mozilla nightlie. This is getting very usable, stable, and fast. Maybe someone will hack together an MDI version of it... like Opera.:)
I recently saw an ad for an agency that "protects a company's web identity," or something along those lines. Basically, this company gets paid to register all kinds of combinations of domain names, to prevent someone from setting up a site that is unfavorable to that company. For example, a company named Foo that hires these web identity people will probably have the following registered for them:
foosucks.com/net/org
ihatefoo.com/net/org
foosux.com/net/org
And so on...
This is a major problem, that I don't know how to solve. Basically, during the first 6 months, all the usable domains will be snatched up by people like this, or squatters, and we will be back to our starting point. Perhaps Slashdotters have any input on this? Any possible solutions?
Oh yeah, one more thing. The.cc domains are now available, and you can register them here, and someone named Colin Burns Games has already snatched up slashdot.cc...
A channel I go to has a haiku bot. It is not entirely computer-generated, but it is pretty fun. Here's how it works.
The bot's owner collects semi-interesting 5- and 7-syllable quotes and stores them in a database. Then, when someone types.haikux in the channel, the bot spits out three random lines in the appropriate order. It is more often interesting than not, and sometimes very amusing.
The channel's name starts with an R, it's on EFNet, and is currently -s and -p. Good luck!:)
I still use that program with ICQ99, because ICQ doesn't allow shortcuts (I use Ctrl+Shift+/ for the double-click tray icon substitute, because I can press it with my right hand alone.) The program is called DreamKeys, and supports plugins for various other programs, like Winamp. You can get DreamKeys here.
Also recommended, if you have a keyboard with winkeys (I don't anymore, but I used to) is WinKey, which allows you to map programs to winkey combinations. WinKey is here.
FYI, you can do this anonymously as well, as long as the cookie is there. The result is a lower score, so the post won't show up for users with higher threshold.
Finally my friend, I agree with you about every GUI sucking ass. Until I meet a GUI that has an intuitive set of keystrokes for every command, or until I grow a third arm for the mouse (or tail--see Dilbert Comics), then I will continue to despise GUIs.
This is why I didn't like X or MacOS much. This is why I feel at home with Windows. I found that many apps under X are entirely non-functional unless you use the mouse, the same way as it is under MacOS. Under Windows, just about everything is accessible through the keyboard (the system tray wasn't until NT5, and I hated that part.)
Believe me, I'm far from being a Windows lover. I will not compliment anything Microsoft unless it really deserves it, but navigation and interface similarities are definitely its strong points. (Funny, I just realized that all the programs I use that have sucky interfaces are owned by AOL. ICQ (no keyboard access whatsoever), Winamp (the playlist sucks since they changed it from a regular listview), AOL (OK, I don't use that), AIM (I don't use it anymore, I found TiK). Sorry, drifting off...
Why can't someone engineer a two handed device that is efficient for typing and mouse pointing?
I once had to spend a lot of time on a laptop with a pointing nipple, and it becomes fairly usable after a while. But I rarely use the mouse for anything, besides web browsing and a few other things that are better done with the mouse. Everything else is keyboard. It takes a while to get used to, but it pays off after that, because you do things 10 times faster (and you may even impress the chicks!)
Oh yeah, where's that Dilbert comic you're referring to?
I'm not a VOD programmer (whatever that is), so I can't argue with your statement, but I'll say this. Windows Media Player is probably the best program for playing streaming video I've seen to date. It isn't innovative(tm) or special -- it just doesn't do stuff I didn't ask it to do over and over and over again. And it has a fairly standard interface that doesn't flake.
Here's the problem. Windows Media, to the best of my knowledge, can only be streamed from boxes running NT. I've yet to hear of a Windows Media streaming server that works on something else.
Now, the question that has been begging for an answer. What's wrong with MPEG? Why can I not just stream MPEG files? All three of the major players understand it, it is automatically streamable, using any HTTPD, so why the rush to use proprietory software? I can understand most websites going with the "trustable" solution, but I've yet to see a single website use MPEG for streaming. Is there a special problem, and does the MPEG group plan on solving it anytime soon?
Some of it is a bit far-fetched, but the idea is certainly interesting. The most important part of the editorial is that it explains the reason copyright was put together in the first place. The major reason that copyrights were created is so that there would be more music for the people to enjoy. The fact that this allows artists and corporations to profit from it is only a side effect.
Well, if you want the command line, use it. I have a G4 box at work with MacOS X Server on it, and the only thing that differs from BSD is that Apple used different directory names. Although this is annoying, since the names are long and capitalized, one gets used to it quickly.
I can still telnet into the box and do whatever he/she wants, and I can still use the CLI on the box itself. Now, the drawback: It came with an iMac keyboard and mouse. So basically, I just work with it by sitting in the same room at the NT box and telnetting into it.
(My experience is based on MacOS X Server, I'm not sure if MacOS X has the same capabilities, but I'm pretty sure that it does...)
It's viruses, and it has been argued over for a long long time. After all this bitching about other news sources confusing hacker and cracker, I find it humourous that Slashdot repeatedly repeats the same mistake.
Before you go screaming and shouting, here are some facts I found after analyzing the script:
The "worm" only works if Gnutella is installed in the default directory, "C:\Program Files\Gnutella\". Since Gnutella doesn't use the registry or any other system-wide config files, it is fairly hard to pin down where it is installed. (One way, of course, would be to look at the Start Menu shortcuts, but those are optional as well. Maybe in version 1.2. <g>)
The user must search for the files with the particular names, download the file, and then execute it. The "worm" does not self-propagate. In fact, I'm not sure if it is even a worm. It seems more like a trojan to me. I think that the reports are automatically labeling anything written in VBScript as a worm.
Obviously, it rarely has an effect on any of the clones, since they don't use the same config file structure, and they usually aren't found in "C:\Program Files\Gnutella\".
There we go, that should reduce the hype a little bit... or maybe not.
Agreed. Loading a little tiny proggie or applet will often eat 8MB of RAM. However, don't forget that the entire JVM is loaded.
In a few years, the JVM and Java programs will probably become so commonplace, that it may be allowed to just lurk in the RAM. Sort of like <gasp> the way IE works in Windows. (Why did you think it opens so quickly?)
Speed or no speed, Java is becoming one of those languages... you know what I'm talking about. One of the languages, along with C, C++, etc. Why?
One of the easiest languages to learn (provided that you understand OOP). I tried C++, and I failed (for now). I tried Java, and it is very easy for me. And for the ease of learning, it gives me immense power. Everything anyone could ever want in a true OOP language.
It is also multiplatform... we all know about that.
The only language I can think of that comes close is VB. VB is Windows-only, (well, you have VBA in Office98 on MacOS, OK) and it doesn't give you much of OOP (inheritance, etc.).
Finally, there are a lot of people out there that will learn a language simply because it's in demand, so that they can get a lot of money paid for writing things in it, and Java wins here as well. Just go do a search on Dice.
The only thing that bothers me is that Java is now definitely being controlled by a corporation. I'm pretty glad it's not Microsoft, but I'd still rather have it controlled by an unbiased group. OTOH, without Sun's promotion and development, who knows if Java would ever rise to where it is today.
Let's just hope that the damn applets will fade out... I just hate them! Please correct me anywhere you think I'm wrong - that's what the Reply link is for.
The major reason while GIFs are still in use today is that some people are still using older browsers. IE4-, Netscape3-, and Opera2- don't have PNG support, but a lot of people still use them. PNG is superior to GIF in just about every way - they compress better, they support more than 256 colors, they allow alpha blending, and they're free.
As for adoption, many sites are already using PNG over GIF, though it will be a long time before GIFs are extinct - Web standards evolve very slowly, IMHO. Here's an article.
Slashdot Mirror
--
I've been thinking about this for a while... can't you just scan and OCR it once, nudge the paper on the scanner, scan and OCR it again, and then use a script to compare the two files? You may use more than two scannings if accuracy is that important.
Something that's been common in the "warez" ebook scene is that people will often correct mistakes in the book as they're reading it, and then spread the corrected version. After a period of time, the book becomes more and more solid.
--
Ok, how many of us just opened another window, went to Freshmeat, and spent 5 minutes searching for such a utility, hoping to score some Karma for a link to it? :)
--
--
- Someday, I may decide to sell T-shirts or something, or go commercial in some other way. This seems a bit far-fetched to me now, but who knows what I'll be thinking 5 years from now...
- (This is the real reason.) Suppose my site becomes semi-popular. Obviously, someone is going to register geekissues.com. What's going to happen then? 10% of my traffic will go to that site, because a lot of people don't even know that something besides
.com exists.
So I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite...BTW, posted with a recent Mozilla nightlie. This is getting very usable, stable, and fast. Maybe someone will hack together an MDI version of it... like Opera. :)
--
- foosucks.com/net/org
- ihatefoo.com/net/org
- foosux.com/net/org
- And so on...
This is a major problem, that I don't know how to solve. Basically, during the first 6 months, all the usable domains will be snatched up by people like this, or squatters, and we will be back to our starting point. Perhaps Slashdotters have any input on this? Any possible solutions?Oh yeah, one more thing. The .cc domains are now available, and you can register them here, and someone named Colin Burns Games has already snatched up slashdot.cc...
--
The bot's owner collects semi-interesting 5- and 7-syllable quotes and stores them in a database. Then, when someone types .haikux in the channel, the bot spits out three random lines in the appropriate order. It is more often interesting than not, and sometimes very amusing.
The channel's name starts with an R, it's on EFNet, and is currently -s and -p. Good luck! :)
--
http colon slash slash ps six mirror dot hypermart dot net
--
Also recommended, if you have a keyboard with winkeys (I don't anymore, but I used to) is WinKey, which allows you to map programs to winkey combinations. WinKey is here.
--
--
This is why I didn't like X or MacOS much. This is why I feel at home with Windows. I found that many apps under X are entirely non-functional unless you use the mouse, the same way as it is under MacOS. Under Windows, just about everything is accessible through the keyboard (the system tray wasn't until NT5, and I hated that part.)
Believe me, I'm far from being a Windows lover. I will not compliment anything Microsoft unless it really deserves it, but navigation and interface similarities are definitely its strong points. (Funny, I just realized that all the programs I use that have sucky interfaces are owned by AOL. ICQ (no keyboard access whatsoever), Winamp (the playlist sucks since they changed it from a regular listview), AOL (OK, I don't use that), AIM (I don't use it anymore, I found TiK). Sorry, drifting off...
Why can't someone engineer a two handed device that is efficient for typing and mouse pointing?
I once had to spend a lot of time on a laptop with a pointing nipple, and it becomes fairly usable after a while. But I rarely use the mouse for anything, besides web browsing and a few other things that are better done with the mouse. Everything else is keyboard. It takes a while to get used to, but it pays off after that, because you do things 10 times faster (and you may even impress the chicks!)
Oh yeah, where's that Dilbert comic you're referring to?
--
Here's the problem. Windows Media, to the best of my knowledge, can only be streamed from boxes running NT. I've yet to hear of a Windows Media streaming server that works on something else.
Now, the question that has been begging for an answer. What's wrong with MPEG? Why can I not just stream MPEG files? All three of the major players understand it, it is automatically streamable, using any HTTPD, so why the rush to use proprietory software? I can understand most websites going with the "trustable" solution, but I've yet to see a single website use MPEG for streaming. Is there a special problem, and does the MPEG group plan on solving it anytime soon?
--
Some of it is a bit far-fetched, but the idea is certainly interesting. The most important part of the editorial is that it explains the reason copyright was put together in the first place. The major reason that copyrights were created is so that there would be more music for the people to enjoy. The fact that this allows artists and corporations to profit from it is only a side effect.
--
I can still telnet into the box and do whatever he/she wants, and I can still use the CLI on the box itself. Now, the drawback: It came with an iMac keyboard and mouse. So basically, I just work with it by sitting in the same room at the NT box and telnetting into it.
(My experience is based on MacOS X Server, I'm not sure if MacOS X has the same capabilities, but I'm pretty sure that it does...)
--
--
Check here and here.
--
- The "worm" only works if Gnutella is installed in the default directory, "C:\Program Files\Gnutella\". Since Gnutella doesn't use the registry or any other system-wide config files, it is fairly hard to pin down where it is installed. (One way, of course, would be to look at the Start Menu shortcuts, but those are optional as well. Maybe in version 1.2. <g>)
- The user must search for the files with the particular names, download the file, and then execute it. The "worm" does not self-propagate. In fact, I'm not sure if it is even a worm. It seems more like a trojan to me. I think that the reports are automatically labeling anything written in VBScript as a worm.
- Obviously, it rarely has an effect on any of the clones, since they don't use the same config file structure, and they usually aren't found in "C:\Program Files\Gnutella\".
There we go, that should reduce the hype a little bit... or maybe not.--
--
--
--
--
In a few years, the JVM and Java programs will probably become so commonplace, that it may be allowed to just lurk in the RAM. Sort of like <gasp> the way IE works in Windows. (Why did you think it opens so quickly?)
--
One of the easiest languages to learn (provided that you understand OOP). I tried C++, and I failed (for now). I tried Java, and it is very easy for me. And for the ease of learning, it gives me immense power. Everything anyone could ever want in a true OOP language.
It is also multiplatform... we all know about that.
The only language I can think of that comes close is VB. VB is Windows-only, (well, you have VBA in Office98 on MacOS, OK) and it doesn't give you much of OOP (inheritance, etc.).
Finally, there are a lot of people out there that will learn a language simply because it's in demand, so that they can get a lot of money paid for writing things in it, and Java wins here as well. Just go do a search on Dice.
The only thing that bothers me is that Java is now definitely being controlled by a corporation. I'm pretty glad it's not Microsoft, but I'd still rather have it controlled by an unbiased group. OTOH, without Sun's promotion and development, who knows if Java would ever rise to where it is today.
Let's just hope that the damn applets will fade out... I just hate them! Please correct me anywhere you think I'm wrong - that's what the Reply link is for.
--
--
As for adoption, many sites are already using PNG over GIF, though it will be a long time before GIFs are extinct - Web standards evolve very slowly, IMHO. Here's an article.
--