Someone else mentioned it already, but using this for presentations with a flat-panel screen would be impressive as hell, and a lot easier to set up and transport than even a laptop (in some cases). Granted, a laptop is already a flat-panel and pc in one, but laptops are more expensive, especially if you want a larger screen.
Another great use is sticking this in your living room for an mp3 server or something (for the silent factor and space savings) or using it for a firewall/gateway at home (for space savings as well). Not everyone is geeky enough to want a tower in every room =)
I'm also sure that you wouldn't have to look too far to find a corporate exec-type that wouldn't want one for the cool factor as well, not to mention any other worker who's strapped for space in the office.
And just imagine a beowulf cluster of these taking up the space of one tower! =) (sorry for that...) ---
Or a G4 cube...also no fans, and almost as small as the cappuccino, though more expensive. You get the same "cool" factor from a cube as well, I think (just as long as you don't have a cappuccino and a cube next to eachother, then the capp. wins hands down =).
These things are making my drool at work right now... ---
Gates said GPL is like Pacman in the sense that the GPL eats up any changes you make (ie. "you can't alter the code to program XYZ and sell it that way without releasing your changes")...I think. Either way, it doesn't really make very much sense, since Pacman is not/has never been an End-User Software License. ---
You may be very right, but these people also have bosses in the company, and the bosses may not like some of the decisions put forth from something like this contest...granted this isn't big enough to fire over, but it's also not big enough (in the judges eyes) (I would assume) to go through the hassle of explaining to their boss why the editor-in-chief for Business Week didn't choose the article from Business Week... ---
"Score:0, Redundant": Actually, Mr. Moderator, the next posting was the redundant one, as I forgot to double check my formatting on this post (forgot the line-breaks.) But I guess I won't complain... ---
This was actually the first site I thought of while reading the caption for Roblimo's posting. Not sure why, it was a decent article, but very long and melodramatic, but hey, half the crap newspapers print are just as bad (around where I am at least...) ---
Eh, doubtful. The method used to save a file that the article is talking about is rather Bass-Aackwards, of course, that makes it 100% suitable for an Micro~1 product. And the fact that it's present in Office 97 products removes the option to say "I can't see them doing file-saves like this". ---
I'm not twisiting his words, I don't think. I didn't write my comment to be inflammatory, and I don't think it is. When he says "he needed to be fired" for talking/bitching about open-source software, that seems to me a very hot-headed move, on the surface (because that's all we're given here).
From your comment, I get the impression that you think someone expressing their opinion/being strongly biased and opinionated is a bad thing. You're write, most secretaries would flip if they didn't see those lovely clowds when they turn on their computer. But at the same time, to use your logic on you, some jobs are better suited for different tools, like, say, programming in Linux?
Now, if the guy really was unproductive (or negatively productive, as I gather from the first reply by sllort) then he should be fired, from the business aspect of things. But, like I said, if the guy was trying to help the company by offering his expertise and opinion (which doesn't sound like the case) and he was fired for that, I see that as nothing other than stifling creativity and originality in the employees. ---
Great link, sorry I used up my mod points. One correction though, the posting doesn't mention Office2k, but "Word 97, Excel 97, Visio 5.0" (these are examples, not necessarily all the apps that have the fault mentioned). Pretty old programs to be using, especially if you're using Win2k for the OS. ---
Well, I certainly hope you aren't implying that you take pleasure in firing your employees, because man, that's just cruel. A person may be an open-source zealot, but s/he may also be the best damn employee in your organization. To say "...but it can be very rewarding. Last year I finally had the opportunity to fire the office 'Open Source Zealot'..." and move on implies because s/he was pro-open-source, he needed to be fired.
If the only reason you like your management job is so you can fire passionate employees, I either say you can have your damn management job, or I hope to God I can get a management position to keep another guy like you from taking charge. ---
Re:Not any time soon....
on
PS2 As PC
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· Score: 1
My bad, thanks for the correction. That's still twice as much as my guesstimate for the end cost of one of these systems though. ---
This all makes me want to curl into a ball, cry for a few days, then pack up and live in a shack in Montana. With a T1 to my typewriter. ---
Re:It requires a change in the business model
on
PS2 As PC
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· Score: 1
Hm, forgot about the manufacturing costs of these things...I guess (to keep the integrity of my original post and comments =) I'd say that the cost would be recouvered when you purchase the "docking station" with the HDD/keyboard/etc.
A beowulf cluster of X-Boxes/PS2s would definitely kick ass though, especially if MS/Sony could afford to eat the cost of users who buy the console and no games. X-Box MSRP is what, $200, isn't it? for a 733MHz processor and some other (currently) mid-range hardware? Sweeeeeeet... ---
Re:Not any time soon....
on
PS2 As PC
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· Score: 2
Yes, well, like I said above, I'm thinking simpler than an iMac (and therefore simpler than Windows). This should be something that's self explanatory, for the most part. I've talked to more than one older person who didn't understand what a Start menu(TM) was. I said before, something with a movie-like interface, where it's a very vanilla interface with large buttons and a few main functions that are easily accessible. The device I envision (at least as it comes standard) would be too simple for you or I to use for anything other than its intended purpose of web/e-mail/word-processing. It would be cool to offer ways for technically inclined people to play of course, but what I'm talking about here is (to you and I, and probably most eight-year olds) beyond simplicity.
But who knows? ---
Re:Not any time soon....
on
PS2 As PC
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· Score: 1
Agreed, but an iMac is $1300. This sounds like it'd cost $400 max. BIG difference there, as far as I'm concerned. Not to mention that with more of a functional WebTV-ish box (which, to me, is where this type of console/appliance is headed) could be simplified more than a mac, still. ---
I agree with you, and I have a hard time seeing past this at times, I guess, but I implied but wasn't very explicit about the fact that I see these taking off more in the general public market, like our grandmothers and aunts and uncles who've been mechanics for the last fifty years or live-at-home mothers and whatnot. You or I wouldn't buy one of these for the PC-like aspects, we'd build an Athlon-based box or something much more powerful.
My grandma bought a $2000 Compaq (or it was bought for her, not sure which) and as far as I know, she only uses it to e-mail once a month or something. If it were simpler and faster for her to use, she'd use it more, I'm sure of that. (In her case, an iMac might even be simple enough, but it's a bit too late to suggest that now...) ---
I would like to know the answer to this question as well. The only idea I could come up with (and a big set-back for Linux in the workplace, as far as I can see it) is lack of a good contact-management program. I strongly dislike Groupwise, but it works. I can type my co-worker's last name and FWD: all the junk I feel like forwarding to him. I can also fire off notes to my boss, check the schedules of other co-workers or meeting rooms, etc. I use Outlook 2000 at home for personal use and haven't been nearly as satisfied with any other e-mail client. (Granted Outlook 2000 is a bit bloated for personal use, but with most newer computers, what's an extra meg of RAM when I'm running with 256?)
I think most larger corporations require some advanced groupware software to disperse bulletins, communicate with normal corporate BS, scheduling, etc. and if you know of one right now in Linux, let me know, because that's one of the few things that's kept Win2K on my computer. ---
Holy shit dude, how'd you quad-post this? Slow down with that refresh button, cowboy! ---
Re:Not any time soon....
on
PS2 As PC
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· Score: 2
The reason I believe you are wrong is the exact same argument you use, namely: yours (and mine) grandparents do not need to learn to use a PC to use the internet/e-mail/recipe-tracking/etc. and they don't need to know how to program in the bash shell or use emacs. Linux can be scaled down and implemented with a simple GUI that hides the guts of the system completely. Granted, for the "geek market" (which includes the likes of us) it would help the marketing of these systems if there was a way to remove the hood and play like nuts. =) ---
...is what will become prevalent in the homes of the general public. We (/.ing geeks) will of course be some of the early ones to try these types of units out, finding ways to exploit/engineer/just-plain-play with them. After that though, these cheaper units will no doubt have a much easier time finding their way into the homes of the general public.
That is, only if they're aimed and geared properly for that market. I tend to believe most parents would have an easier time forking over $300 for a PS2/XBox over a PC, especially if that PS2 came with a module to allow basic internet/WWW interactivity (including e-mail) and basic functions like word-processing. For the success in this market, however, it is imperitive (in my mind) that these are extremely simple and intuitive with an attractive "movie-like" interface, or non-techies will be just as lost as with PCs.
I tend to forget this like most others, I assume, but there are PCs in the homes of something along the lines of 5-10% of the world's population, if not less. ---
--the eloquent words of the Slash editor who posted the story on Slashcode.
This only works for awhile, but then you may end up playing legal cat-and-mouse, having your site evicted from servers repeatedly or, as above, just get expelled. Not to mention the fact that just backing down and moving elsewhere removed the campus-centric nature of a site like this (which I would assume is an integral part of the site) and defies every indeal behind the first amendment. ---
Slashdot Mirror
Another great use is sticking this in your living room for an mp3 server or something (for the silent factor and space savings) or using it for a firewall/gateway at home (for space savings as well). Not everyone is geeky enough to want a tower in every room =)
I'm also sure that you wouldn't have to look too far to find a corporate exec-type that wouldn't want one for the cool factor as well, not to mention any other worker who's strapped for space in the office.
And just imagine a beowulf cluster of these taking up the space of one tower! =) (sorry for that...)
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These things are making my drool at work right now...
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Gaws, what a fruit-cake! He likes money? What kinda fool likes money? The nerve... /sarcasm
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Gates said GPL is like Pacman in the sense that the GPL eats up any changes you make (ie. "you can't alter the code to program XYZ and sell it that way without releasing your changes")...I think. Either way, it doesn't really make very much sense, since Pacman is not/has never been an End-User Software License.
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...by accounting geeks! Run for the hills! Hide the children, before they get amortized and written off!
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You may be very right, but these people also have bosses in the company, and the bosses may not like some of the decisions put forth from something like this contest...granted this isn't big enough to fire over, but it's also not big enough (in the judges eyes) (I would assume) to go through the hassle of explaining to their boss why the editor-in-chief for Business Week didn't choose the article from Business Week...
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"Score:0, Redundant": Actually, Mr. Moderator, the next posting was the redundant one, as I forgot to double check my formatting on this post (forgot the line-breaks.) But I guess I won't complain...
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Goes to show you who's a moron...here this is again but after previewing and fixing:
See here:
Search on The Register for "CPRM"
Stealth plan puts copy protection into every hard drive
Copy protection hard drive plan nixes free software - RMS
Everything you ever wanted to know about CPRM, but ZDNet wouldn't tell you...
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This was actually the first site I thought of while reading the caption for Roblimo's posting. Not sure why, it was a decent article, but very long and melodramatic, but hey, half the crap newspapers print are just as bad (around where I am at least...)
---
Eh, doubtful. The method used to save a file that the article is talking about is rather Bass-Aackwards, of course, that makes it 100% suitable for an Micro~1 product. And the fact that it's present in Office 97 products removes the option to say "I can't see them doing file-saves like this".
---
From your comment, I get the impression that you think someone expressing their opinion/being strongly biased and opinionated is a bad thing. You're write, most secretaries would flip if they didn't see those lovely clowds when they turn on their computer. But at the same time, to use your logic on you, some jobs are better suited for different tools, like, say, programming in Linux?
Now, if the guy really was unproductive (or negatively productive, as I gather from the first reply by sllort) then he should be fired, from the business aspect of things. But, like I said, if the guy was trying to help the company by offering his expertise and opinion (which doesn't sound like the case) and he was fired for that, I see that as nothing other than stifling creativity and originality in the employees.
---
Great link, sorry I used up my mod points. One correction though, the posting doesn't mention Office2k, but "Word 97, Excel 97, Visio 5.0" (these are examples, not necessarily all the apps that have the fault mentioned). Pretty old programs to be using, especially if you're using Win2k for the OS.
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If the only reason you like your management job is so you can fire passionate employees, I either say you can have your damn management job, or I hope to God I can get a management position to keep another guy like you from taking charge.
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My bad, thanks for the correction. That's still twice as much as my guesstimate for the end cost of one of these systems though.
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This all makes me want to curl into a ball, cry for a few days, then pack up and live in a shack in Montana. With a T1 to my typewriter.
---
A beowulf cluster of X-Boxes/PS2s would definitely kick ass though, especially if MS/Sony could afford to eat the cost of users who buy the console and no games. X-Box MSRP is what, $200, isn't it? for a 733MHz processor and some other (currently) mid-range hardware? Sweeeeeeet...
---
But who knows?
---
Agreed, but an iMac is $1300. This sounds like it'd cost $400 max. BIG difference there, as far as I'm concerned. Not to mention that with more of a functional WebTV-ish box (which, to me, is where this type of console/appliance is headed) could be simplified more than a mac, still.
---
My grandma bought a $2000 Compaq (or it was bought for her, not sure which) and as far as I know, she only uses it to e-mail once a month or something. If it were simpler and faster for her to use, she'd use it more, I'm sure of that. (In her case, an iMac might even be simple enough, but it's a bit too late to suggest that now...)
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Runix, Linux based on 2.4 kernel for PS1 for $100, also with a sort of docking station. (6/1)
The linux for the PS1 is available now, the one for PS2 I'm not sure about, both are expected 3Q, 2001 sometime.
---
I think most larger corporations require some advanced groupware software to disperse bulletins, communicate with normal corporate BS, scheduling, etc. and if you know of one right now in Linux, let me know, because that's one of the few things that's kept Win2K on my computer.
---
Holy shit dude, how'd you quad-post this? Slow down with that refresh button, cowboy!
---
The reason I believe you are wrong is the exact same argument you use, namely: yours (and mine) grandparents do not need to learn to use a PC to use the internet/e-mail/recipe-tracking/etc. and they don't need to know how to program in the bash shell or use emacs. Linux can be scaled down and implemented with a simple GUI that hides the guts of the system completely. Granted, for the "geek market" (which includes the likes of us) it would help the marketing of these systems if there was a way to remove the hood and play like nuts. =)
---
That is, only if they're aimed and geared properly for that market. I tend to believe most parents would have an easier time forking over $300 for a PS2/XBox over a PC, especially if that PS2 came with a module to allow basic internet/WWW interactivity (including e-mail) and basic functions like word-processing. For the success in this market, however, it is imperitive (in my mind) that these are extremely simple and intuitive with an attractive "movie-like" interface, or non-techies will be just as lost as with PCs.
I tend to forget this like most others, I assume, but there are PCs in the homes of something along the lines of 5-10% of the world's population, if not less.
---
This only works for awhile, but then you may end up playing legal cat-and-mouse, having your site evicted from servers repeatedly or, as above, just get expelled. Not to mention the fact that just backing down and moving elsewhere removed the campus-centric nature of a site like this (which I would assume is an integral part of the site) and defies every indeal behind the first amendment.
---