Ok, it is not a gaming box, but... Unparalleled 2D and 3D graphics performance with a GFFX 5200? That would be the day!
They're right! I've done a study on graphics for the Apple and Windows gamer markets. When a best-fit line is matched to the time vs. graphics power curves, the slope of the Apple line is 38 degrees, while the slope of the Windows line is 43 degrees. So they aren't parallel.
Think about it. They release crippled XP. There will quickly be a crack or patch to turn crippled XP into full XP. People buy crippled XP and apply patch or crack, smiling because they didn't pay for full XP. MS gets some change and market share. MS doesn't care about about profits today. They are more concerned with catching the emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and South America. This will lead to HUGE profits for years down the line.
Just a thought, but in the past I've bought software v.1.5 with functionality I needed. I get the software out of the box and install it. The functionality is so poor it is unusable and crashes either the program or my system. I can't return squat because the box is open.
Now the software v.1.5.1 comes along and they have the functionality I was promised before working properly, but want me to upgrade at two-thirds the cost of the full package. But I've already paid for that functionality. Had I been smart, I would've pirated the program first to see if the functionality was what I wanted.
Adobe, MS, Apple, Macromedia... and those are just the companies have done this to me. The next time I plan to make a software purchase over $100, I'll download the trial. If there isn't one, I'll find a friend with broadband and have them download it for me. I have no problem paying for the software that I use, I just want to get what I pay for.
This would have been a good post BEFORE I had installed Fedora on Friday. Now I'm stuck reinstalling my entire system. Looks like it's back to Win2K and Gentoo for me.
On a side note, my partition tables got completely screwed installing Fedora with everything on a single drive.
First, let me start by saying I don't have an answer to the problem of kids and porn on the net. Having said that, a few observations.
1. I don't think there is a kids and porn problem. Raise your hand if you viewed porn at one time when you were a kid. Now keep your hand up if you turned into a social deviant. Not many, eh! Speaking from personal experience, the people I knew growing up who turned into social misfits and freaks are the ones who were shielded all of their lives (see home schooled and religious fanatics).
2. Aside from border problems, HOW DO WE CATEGORIZE PORN?!!!!! Do art websites qualify? What if I model a naked woman in Maya and put that on the web? Or is it just 'real' photos and video we're concerned with. What about dirty letters? What if I run a site with pictures of a clitoris? Now what if I put info about women's health on that website? Whether or not I'm creating a site for commercial purposes is irrelevant to me. The fact is as someone who puts content on the web and views content, porn or whatever, I don't want censorship. If you don't like it, set the BIOS password on your computer and try PARENTING your child, instead of giving them the internet as a babysitter.
3. Does anyone realize how quickly content would be eliminated from the web if this were to go into effect? Do you think AOL or Earthlink will allow access to those sites when parents groups protest? This is not making it easier to identify this type of material, it's aimed at eliminating it.
That's my three bits. Take it with a grain of salt. Disclaimer-I run a website for profit (about $25 per month profit, but I just got it going). It has adult material on it. It's at http://www.aliengoods.com/ and I sell bondage furniture. And guess what? I have a disclaimer page that most content filters should catch and block. I don't care because I don't sell to children (let's not get into a public library filters debate - they anger me).
Information doesn't want to be free. A free society does.
And a question. How is this different then someone not going to a doctor they heard was poor? A bogus lawsuit can ruin a doctors career. Can you blame them for wanting to keep at arms length from these people.
Lastly, don't get mad, get even. When the docs home net connection goes down, and you work for the ISP, just say 'sorry, but if I do something wrong I'm afraid I won't get good heart surgery'.
Thats my two bits.
While I wouldn't mind the ability to call 911 when I need it, there is a greater privacy issue. In order for 911 to be effective, there needs to be excellent information regarding physical location. AKA Geographical tracking on the net. Call me tinfoil hat man, but the government has been wanting to track physical location through the net in an instant for years. Messing with those pesky subpoenas is so cumbersome. What I can't wait for is when a pedophile hacks the protocol and uses it to determine a kids physical location in an instant. Much like a cell phone, I should be able to turn it off. And here's a simple way to solve the emergency issue. A switch on a box that connects your POTS phone to your computer. In an emergency, I just have to flip a switch and 911 is enabled through a GPS receiver in the box. Too simple?
If you support an organization with 1000 people at 20 locations, getting that many CDs burned and out to your staff would be difficult in the case of a critical security fix (where you want your systems updated in minutes instead of days).
Now, use a CDRW instead of a CD, and have the drives in every computer (costs only slightly more than a normal CDROM). Or use USB Flash pendrives. I got a 256 MB at Best Buy for $30! You can push the updates out over the network and just have a small support staff for user created problems (I deleted my files and emptied trash; how do I get them back), hardware issues, and network/server administration.
In any case, with applications being moved to the network I see the computer being a modular cog in the equation. I could be swapped quickly with little or no problems.
Slashdot Mirror
Ok, it is not a gaming box, but... Unparalleled 2D and 3D graphics performance with a GFFX 5200? That would be the day!
They're right! I've done a study on graphics for the Apple and Windows gamer markets. When a best-fit line is matched to the time vs. graphics power curves, the slope of the Apple line is 38 degrees, while the slope of the Windows line is 43 degrees. So they aren't parallel.
Think about it. They release crippled XP. There will quickly be a crack or patch to turn crippled XP into full XP. People buy crippled XP and apply patch or crack, smiling because they didn't pay for full XP. MS gets some change and market share. MS doesn't care about about profits today. They are more concerned with catching the emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and South America. This will lead to HUGE profits for years down the line.
I could be wrong.
Not bloody likely!
Just a thought, but in the past I've bought software v.1.5 with functionality I needed. I get the software out of the box and install it. The functionality is so poor it is unusable and crashes either the program or my system. I can't return squat because the box is open.
... and those are just the companies have done this to me. The next time I plan to make a software purchase over $100, I'll download the trial. If there isn't one, I'll find a friend with broadband and have them download it for me. I have no problem paying for the software that I use, I just want to get what I pay for.
Now the software v.1.5.1 comes along and they have the functionality I was promised before working properly, but want me to upgrade at two-thirds the cost of the full package. But I've already paid for that functionality. Had I been smart, I would've pirated the program first to see if the functionality was what I wanted.
Adobe, MS, Apple, Macromedia
Just my thoughts
The USPO? Why blame the US Post Office. The real villians are the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
This would have been a good post BEFORE I had installed Fedora on Friday. Now I'm stuck reinstalling my entire system. Looks like it's back to Win2K and Gentoo for me.
On a side note, my partition tables got completely screwed installing Fedora with everything on a single drive.
First, let me start by saying I don't have an answer to the problem of kids and porn on the net. Having said that, a few observations.
1. I don't think there is a kids and porn problem. Raise your hand if you viewed porn at one time when you were a kid. Now keep your hand up if you turned into a social deviant. Not many, eh! Speaking from personal experience, the people I knew growing up who turned into social misfits and freaks are the ones who were shielded all of their lives (see home schooled and religious fanatics).
2. Aside from border problems, HOW DO WE CATEGORIZE PORN?!!!!! Do art websites qualify? What if I model a naked woman in Maya and put that on the web? Or is it just 'real' photos and video we're concerned with. What about dirty letters? What if I run a site with pictures of a clitoris? Now what if I put info about women's health on that website? Whether or not I'm creating a site for commercial purposes is irrelevant to me. The fact is as someone who puts content on the web and views content, porn or whatever, I don't want censorship. If you don't like it, set the BIOS password on your computer and try PARENTING your child, instead of giving them the internet as a babysitter.
3. Does anyone realize how quickly content would be eliminated from the web if this were to go into effect? Do you think AOL or Earthlink will allow access to those sites when parents groups protest? This is not making it easier to identify this type of material, it's aimed at eliminating it.
That's my three bits. Take it with a grain of salt. Disclaimer-I run a website for profit (about $25 per month profit, but I just got it going). It has adult material on it. It's at http://www.aliengoods.com/ and I sell bondage furniture. And guess what? I have a disclaimer page that most content filters should catch and block. I don't care because I don't sell to children (let's not get into a public library filters debate - they anger me).
Information doesn't want to be free. A free society does. And a question. How is this different then someone not going to a doctor they heard was poor? A bogus lawsuit can ruin a doctors career. Can you blame them for wanting to keep at arms length from these people. Lastly, don't get mad, get even. When the docs home net connection goes down, and you work for the ISP, just say 'sorry, but if I do something wrong I'm afraid I won't get good heart surgery'. Thats my two bits.
While I wouldn't mind the ability to call 911 when I need it, there is a greater privacy issue. In order for 911 to be effective, there needs to be excellent information regarding physical location. AKA Geographical tracking on the net. Call me tinfoil hat man, but the government has been wanting to track physical location through the net in an instant for years. Messing with those pesky subpoenas is so cumbersome. What I can't wait for is when a pedophile hacks the protocol and uses it to determine a kids physical location in an instant. Much like a cell phone, I should be able to turn it off. And here's a simple way to solve the emergency issue. A switch on a box that connects your POTS phone to your computer. In an emergency, I just have to flip a switch and 911 is enabled through a GPS receiver in the box. Too simple?
Just think. With this, I could install Gentoo quicker!
If you support an organization with 1000 people at 20 locations, getting that many CDs burned and out to your staff would be difficult in the case of a critical security fix (where you want your systems updated in minutes instead of days).
Now, use a CDRW instead of a CD, and have the drives in every computer (costs only slightly more than a normal CDROM). Or use USB Flash pendrives. I got a 256 MB at Best Buy for $30! You can push the updates out over the network and just have a small support staff for user created problems (I deleted my files and emptied trash; how do I get them back), hardware issues, and network/server administration.
In any case, with applications being moved to the network I see the computer being a modular cog in the equation. I could be swapped quickly with little or no problems.