Somehow I was under the impression that the Internet is a decentralized network with all traffic on the Internet running between two peers. What, then, falls under the category of P2P? What doesn't?
I personally think that the PC, particularly under Windows XP, is a terrible gaming platform. I find myself cringing every time people complain about how bad Linux/Mac are for games, as opposed to the great and wonderful Windows. Here's a little list of annoyances I can think of off the top of my head right now:
* The need to install a game on your hard disk. Why can my Gamecube run any game within seconds of plopping the CD in and turning it on? (...and it's not like I can legitimately run the game without the original CD anyway.) * The horribly slow and ugly process of switching from the Windows desktop to full screen. First the screen flickers. Then the screen turns black. Then the desktop shows up for a second, "magnified" (because the resolution is lower). Then more blackness. Finally, the game shows up. Hard disk grinding throughout this time. Reverse this process when the game is over. * Occasionally some stupid popup (like an instant message or a warning about my swap space running low) will force the game out of full-screen mode and back to the desktop. This cuts you out of the action for at least 30 seconds, as the disk grinds its way to swap everything back in and the resolution change as described above occurs yet again. * The occasional background process causes the game to stutter or jump slightly every once in a while. * I've rarely ever seen a 3D, or even a 2D game on the PC that has consistent smooth moving animation and scrolling at the refresh rate of the monitor with no tearing - things that are a given in almost any console game. That is, it should be that FPS == refresh rate, and refreshes occur while screen is not updating. * When quitting a game, very often all windows that were previously open are now confined to the upper-left corner within bounds equal to the size of the game's full-screen resolution. * Sometimes the same goes for all desktop icons. So what if you've spent time arranging them in a particular way? They're all bunched up in a 320x200 corner now, sorry. * No matter how good your hardware, a game will always give you the impression that something needs upgrading (see the stuttering phenomenon mentioned above).
In my experience the Mac is much better in most of these respects. I've never tried gaming under Linux or Vista, and I do realize some of these points may have been fixed in Vista.
The vast majority of Windows Updates (which come in once a week or two) require a restart. Also, when installing any piece of software, odds are about 1 in 2 that it will tell you that you must restart your computer before you can use it. So, even though we're not in the bad old days of win9x anymore, you're still restarting your computer at least once a week or so.
There is a theory which states that if ever for any reason anyone discovers what exactly the RIAA is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another that states that this has already happened.
I dunno, given that the real competitors to the C=64 was the Atari 400 and the T.I. 99/4, I think it wasn't so bad. The real competitor to the Commodore 64 was the Atari 800, which had an excellent keyboard. Very comfortable and easy to type, the keys are all where they should be with very few nonstandard things, and I really miss that keyclick (software generated and played through an internal speaker).
It's funny how Atari simultaneously released two machines (the 400 and 800) that had such terrible and good keyboards, respectively.
The 1200XL was also on the same level as the 800, but later on Atari started to lose it. The 800XL-era machines had various kinds of keyboards depending on where they were manufactured. The XE and ST line were terrible, with "mushy" and hard keys (although not bad enough to make this list).
Slashdot's summary seems quite correct and accurate. It's actually the linked article (from the Washington Post) that seems suspicious of omitting that minor yet vital fact.
It seems that defendant Howell kept a library of MP3's on his computer, but did not offer them up for sharing via P2P. This begs the question: How did the RIAA know about it?
Actually I've just had an interesting conversation with Zork I on this very matter. It went like this:
ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire Copyright (c) 1981, 1982, 1983 Infocom, Inc. All rights reserved. ZORK is a registered trademark of Infocom, Inc. Revision 88 / Serial number 840726
West of House You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here.
>eat house I don't think that the white house would agree with you.
OOoooh, daily ineffective rocket attacks that have killed maybe 5 people, compared to the rocket attacks by Israel, which usually kill more than 5 each time. So you're saying Israel should just tolerate having its civilians living under a constant rain of rockets that quite often shock, injure or maim, and only occasionally kill someone?
What a shortsighted moron you are. No, I'm trying to defend my country from the vile slander occasionally thrown at it around here. And who the fuck are you?
Just to remind you Israel ethnically cleansed millions from its territory from about 1947 on "The number of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War is disputed.[...] The final UN estimate was 711,000" (link). Millions? Where did that come from?
and on one occasion assassinated a UN official who moved 8000 refugees back into their homes. If you are referring to Count Bernadotte, he was assassinated by the LEHI, an underground terrorist organization, not by the Israeli government, who condemned the action.
Everything that happens is a response to Israelis own actions, and deserved. Come live in Sderot for a week, and let's see how you feel then. Idiot.
Yes, they want Israel the Zionist country to go away, but they don't want to slaughter the Jews living there. Right, just the Zionists.
And they're right: Israel was made with complete disregard for the people who were already living there. Whoever didn't escape received full citizen's rights and today live much, much better (in terms of electoral rights, health benefits, welfare, freedom of speech, and so on) than virtually any Arab living in any Arab country (with the possible exception of some extremely oil-rich countries such as Kuwait). Perhaps not complete disregard, then.
The Gypsies were just as much victims of the Nazi genocide as the Jews, where's their homeland? So were homosexuals, handicapped people, and so on. Where's their homeland? Do the Gypsies have one they can claim?
Israel can complain about security when they go back to the 1967 borders and grant the Right of Return. Of course. Then, under daily rocket attacks we'll complain to the UN who will immediately come and protect us. Sorry, I don't buy that crap. So far, every concession Israel has made to the Palestinians has only led to more attacks. Just to remind you, in 1967 Israel was living in pre-1967 borders, but for some reason there was no peace. Why do you think that returning to the same borders will magically create peace?
And don't get me started on the Right of Return, there is no room in pre-1967 Israel for an extra several million descendants of the 1948 war refugees. They can build their new lives in the West Bank territory given to the future Palestinian state.
For your information, the bible is originally a Jewish document. Tacking an extra bit to the end and calling it the "New Testament" doesn't change that.
Slashdot Mirror
Ah, but you can also use the lid as a plate for collecting crumbs if you don't want your palms to get all greasy.
#495173 +(1653)- [X]
<microgal> and whiter than white
<RobinHood> heh
<Kronovohr> so...you're like #GGGGGG?
Somehow I was under the impression that the Internet is a decentralized network with all traffic on the Internet running between two peers. What, then, falls under the category of P2P? What doesn't?
Yes! And finally they realized that 128 colors really are enough for anybody.
Wow, that's almost as awesome as Kibo's WebTV page!
See here I am, scratching my head trying to figure out whether you are agreeing or disagreeing with me.
I personally think that the PC, particularly under Windows XP, is a terrible gaming platform. I find myself cringing every time people complain about how bad Linux/Mac are for games, as opposed to the great and wonderful Windows. Here's a little list of annoyances I can think of off the top of my head right now:
* The need to install a game on your hard disk. Why can my Gamecube run any game within seconds of plopping the CD in and turning it on? (...and it's not like I can legitimately run the game without the original CD anyway.)
* The horribly slow and ugly process of switching from the Windows desktop to full screen. First the screen flickers. Then the screen turns black. Then the desktop shows up for a second, "magnified" (because the resolution is lower). Then more blackness. Finally, the game shows up. Hard disk grinding throughout this time. Reverse this process when the game is over.
* Occasionally some stupid popup (like an instant message or a warning about my swap space running low) will force the game out of full-screen mode and back to the desktop. This cuts you out of the action for at least 30 seconds, as the disk grinds its way to swap everything back in and the resolution change as described above occurs yet again.
* The occasional background process causes the game to stutter or jump slightly every once in a while.
* I've rarely ever seen a 3D, or even a 2D game on the PC that has consistent smooth moving animation and scrolling at the refresh rate of the monitor with no tearing - things that are a given in almost any console game. That is, it should be that FPS == refresh rate, and refreshes occur while screen is not updating.
* When quitting a game, very often all windows that were previously open are now confined to the upper-left corner within bounds equal to the size of the game's full-screen resolution.
* Sometimes the same goes for all desktop icons. So what if you've spent time arranging them in a particular way? They're all bunched up in a 320x200 corner now, sorry.
* No matter how good your hardware, a game will always give you the impression that something needs upgrading (see the stuttering phenomenon mentioned above).
In my experience the Mac is much better in most of these respects. I've never tried gaming under Linux or Vista, and I do realize some of these points may have been fixed in Vista.
My advice to you would be to get some new lawyers.
The vast majority of Windows Updates (which come in once a week or two) require a restart. Also, when installing any piece of software, odds are about 1 in 2 that it will tell you that you must restart your computer before you can use it. So, even though we're not in the bad old days of win9x anymore, you're still restarting your computer at least once a week or so.
Maybe they're Wi-Fi cables.
There is a theory which states that if ever for any reason anyone discovers what exactly the RIAA is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another that states that this has already happened.
It's funny how Atari simultaneously released two machines (the 400 and 800) that had such terrible and good keyboards, respectively.
The 1200XL was also on the same level as the 800, but later on Atari started to lose it. The 800XL-era machines had various kinds of keyboards depending on where they were manufactured. The XE and ST line were terrible, with "mushy" and hard keys (although not bad enough to make this list).
Slashdot's summary seems quite correct and accurate. It's actually the linked article (from the Washington Post) that seems suspicious of omitting that minor yet vital fact.
It seems that defendant Howell kept a library of MP3's on his computer, but did not offer them up for sharing via P2P. This begs the question: How did the RIAA know about it?
"it's growth over the years" should be its.
That's fine, we'll just wait for your hands to melt.
In the foam pellets the scientific equipment was packed in, of course.
Is this missing matter stuff that matters or is the matter of the missing matter merely a nerdy matter?
Inquiring minds want to know!
And don't get me started on the Right of Return, there is no room in pre-1967 Israel for an extra several million descendants of the 1948 war refugees. They can build their new lives in the West Bank territory given to the future Palestinian state.
For your information, the bible is originally a Jewish document. Tacking an extra bit to the end and calling it the "New Testament" doesn't change that.
Hey, nice basement you got here. Don't mind if I use the spare bed, do you?
I could try counter-arguing these counter-arguments against the arguments against unbundling Windows, but my head would explode.