The device I want is the simplest possible: a PDA with a non crashing OS, any text editor (yes, even vi), possibility to use an external real size keyboard and the possibility to write text files to an SD card.
Writing a "non crashing OS" I exclude Palm OS, by the way.
I think the main reason you were modded down was that you didn't say anything about why you were disappointed with Inkscape's SVG. I would probably have modded you "Redundant" if I had had mod points.
You had a fairly weak case for mentioning EGD in this thread, but you made it even weaker by not giving much information about it except that you for some unspecified reason find it "awesome".
I sure have no problem with the UI, but I nevertheless feel for you. I remember when I first was introduced to a "mouse" about 20 years ago, and I simply couldn't get a hang of it for a week or so. The iPod UI would not be intuitive for a neolithic man, but I think he (and you) could learn it pretty soon and love it.
I hate iPhoto and have done so since version 1.0, but I admit it is a matter of taste.
Does it even come bundled with all new Macs? I know it is part of iLife, which often comes bundled with a new Mac, but it doesn't come with all of them, does it? And what about free updates?
It is normal that the first pirated copies are of bad quality. It is true that cam releases suck, but they sell nevertheless. If the pirates can get their hands on better material, that's fine, but it is by no means a rule that they do. And "they" don't wait for optimal material to release their DVDs. (I'm sure some do wait, but they are not the ones first to the market.)
If you look around at the other comments it actually is a really big deal. Finally MS will have to build their software so it works properly for non admin users, and this is a big boost for security. And for admins all over the world, who have tried to apply strict security policies, but failed, because the security lid couldn't be safely fastened on a machine that should do standard tasks.
"Blocking a site from loading prevents - well prevents if from loading. What more can you ask for? "
I still don't get the idea of a host file. The host file contains a list of hosts which somewhere contain some vicious content, right? But it doesn't contain a list of all vicious things. So I still have to be as vigilant as ever when I surf the web, but a large part of the web is locked out for me, because the pages are on a server with some nasty stuff somewhere, where I'm not going to look for it, and where I anyhow didn't intend to click on it. I may be missing something here, but to me this seems complete rubbish.
"The statistics I linked to is output per hour, not output per year."
Yes and no. Mostly no. It measures output per hour compared to an index set at 100 for 1992. In other words, it measures the difference within a country compared to 1992. If the French were more productive already in 1992 it is a pretty good chance they still are. (Or "we", then. I work in France.)
It's not a subject I feel very much for, so I cannot be bothered to dig out the references, but I have seen consistent statistics for several years showing French output per hour in absolute terms being higher than the American one. The Economist usually claims so anyhow.
"The worst part of it all is that, because of the DMCA, it is ILLEGAL to try to bypass the area code system."
It is illegal in the US. It is perfectly legal in many other countries - probably most other countries. That doesn't always mean that you can buy dezoned players in any shop of course. But if you know how to do it yourself it is mostly legal.
In France it is fairly standard that a new DVD costs around 30 euro, which is more than US$35. Luckily there are plenty of special offers down to around 10 euro and lower.
"Why would you even buy the movie in the first place then? "
I buy movies because I usually watch just a few minutes of them a day. If it takes a full week to watch a film, it is often cheaper to buy than to to rent.
Any career choice is risky. It is true that a lot more IT jobs can go to increasingly clever people abroad, but that's the case with any industry. Car industry? Goes to Japan and Korea. Textile industry? Goes to China and India. Electronics? Goes to Korea, China, Japan, Thailand and about any other Asian country.
If you really enjoy working with hightech and feel pretty sure you will feel the same in 10 to 20 years from now, just go for it. Passionate people are needed in any sector. But don't rule out moving abroad for some time to get the best possible job.
"Many people think Apple is going to begin to overtake Microsoft's dominance as the PC platform of choice."
I doubt that very, very much. Apple a dominant PC platform? What about the competition laws? Would they allow one company to produce only software which only allows for their own hardware, if that software had 90% of the market? Would the business world even buy software from a company with no negotiation margins? Apple aren't interested in dominating the market. Their main purpose is making money, and they have different ways to do that.
The only current system that could replace Windows is a nix system that isn't linked to hardware, like Linux, but they have a long, long way to go.
I'm not. I have been without a television for four years now, and I love switching it on when I'm staying at hotels. The great thing with a television is that it shows you things you didn't know you were looking for. You switch it on, and a story, some images or some facts you didn't know anything about come to you. The only reason I haven't bought one, is that I cannot see how I could make time to both watch television and do all the other things I do.
There are of course some areas of the world where the available programs are less inspiring than elsewhere, but on the whole, I think it is a great invention.
"In an age when video cameras and recording devices are virtually everywhere, it's difficult to believe that it wasn't always possible to walk into a Wal-Mart or Best Buy store with $50 and leave with a new video recorder."
"Yes, difficult to believe... if you're 16 years old. Jesus, it was less than 20 years ago that VCRs became ubiquitous."
I'd guess it wouldn't help to be 16 years old. There were no VCRs around when I was a kid. There are hardly any VCRs around today either, as everything is replaced with DVDs. The only persons agreeing with the article author would be someone born around 1985 who tragically died around 2000, so they never got to see the DVD revolution.
My guess is that the poster gave up when he saw the first paragraph: "Rockbox is an open source [so what?] firmware replacement [and?] for a growing number [it's enough if it works on mine] of MP3 players. Rockbox aims to [any results yet?] be considerably [so not "very" or "slightly"? could there be any more superfluous word here?] more functional ["functional"?!!! for what? to hammer in nails?] and efficient [in other words "good"] than your device's stock firmware while remaining easy to use [so the business idea is not to frighten people off? hardly original. But how do they do it?] and customizable [how? can you make the firmware fit the colour scheme of your wall paper? can you change its smell? ]. Rockbox is written by users [to me it only matters if it is written by me, and it isn't], for users [in contrast to...? "for congolese desert rats"]." Text in square [brackets] is mine of course.
Frankly, if I see that kind of text on a web page, I stop reading right there. Even if the site against all odds contains some real information hidden away in some corner, it will take too much time for me to look for it, unless I'm convinced beforehand that it is vital for me.
That is probably true - at least Thizlinux, as it is a Chinese product. I have never seen the process of installing an OS in a factory setting, but I imagine it is quicker and slightly cheaper the less data you have to copy.
However, even if my scenario with preinstallation wouldn't turn out true, MS has the same problem with the internet cafés. If you have a Chinese internet café with 100 PCs, where most customers are students who pay $1 an hour, then you really want the cheapest solution. Otherwise they will go nextdoor where they only have to pay.80 an hour. Currently, there is no price difference between Linux and Windows, as Windows is pirated. If licences are enforced, Linux is likely to get at least a decent market share.
It's not like they all want the latest and greatest OS. I encountered installations of Windows 98 when I was there last year.
MS may actually shoot themselves in the foot here. A large portion of the PC buying Chinese public is very price sensitive. The vendors are therefore more likely to install Linux by default, which people then can overwrite with pirated Windows.
However, quite a few people will probably keep the default OS out of laziness, if nothing else, so Windows will loose market share. Until now, there are a fair number of Chinese internet sites (and software) that only work with Windows, but if enough people will use the default Linux system, those sites will have to adapt. This will make it even less attractive to install pirate Windows.
So, how will this hurt MS? They don't get any money worth talking about from the Chinese market today. Their problem is that if a large portion of the Chinese start using Linux, international web sites that sell to the Chinese, will also have to adapt to Linux. And that means that Linux will be a more viable alternative for the international public too.
This may be wishful thinking, but I think there is a fair chance that this scenario will take place.
Could someone please implement a filter, so posts with the following words don't appear: "god", "atheist", "bible", "creationism" and "intelligent design" and then apply it to every article about evolution?
Some of us are actually interested in the science of evolution, but it is next to impossible to find posts about that in this swamp of pro-contra-creationism posts.
For exactly the reason I mentioned: the profit isn't big enough.
Dell offers options which make a business sense, like RAM and harddisk space, because they know enough people make a distinction and are willing to pay for the difference. They do not offer keyboards with the all vowels highlighted with pink colour, as hardly anyone would like that option.
Does MS put pressure on Dell to limit the sales of non-Windows PCs? I'm sure they do. MS would hardly keep the present price levels to Dell, if Dell suddenly burst out being a huge provider of computers for the Linux world. However, they do not forbid Dell to sell any non-Windows machines. As mentioned elsewhere, the n-series is sold with FreeDOS or RedHat to businesses, who are likely to make big enough purchases. In the end Dell makes a business decision.
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Writing a "non crashing OS" I exclude Palm OS, by the way.
Does anyone know if that configuration exists?
You had a fairly weak case for mentioning EGD in this thread, but you made it even weaker by not giving much information about it except that you for some unspecified reason find it "awesome".
The article is not about senders of spam but of servers that control them. There is a huge difference.
No.
I sure have no problem with the UI, but I nevertheless feel for you. I remember when I first was introduced to a "mouse" about 20 years ago, and I simply couldn't get a hang of it for a week or so. The iPod UI would not be intuitive for a neolithic man, but I think he (and you) could learn it pretty soon and love it.
I'm not going to mod you flamebait, but I'm very tempted to call the police, if you are the guy playing loud music outside my window.
Just buy two iPods. It's the same idea as two battery packs. But slightly more expensive.
Tried Adobe Bridge? It does what I want it to do.
Does it even come bundled with all new Macs? I know it is part of iLife, which often comes bundled with a new Mac, but it doesn't come with all of them, does it? And what about free updates?
It is normal that the first pirated copies are of bad quality. It is true that cam releases suck, but they sell nevertheless. If the pirates can get their hands on better material, that's fine, but it is by no means a rule that they do. And "they" don't wait for optimal material to release their DVDs. (I'm sure some do wait, but they are not the ones first to the market.)
If you look around at the other comments it actually is a really big deal. Finally MS will have to build their software so it works properly for non admin users, and this is a big boost for security. And for admins all over the world, who have tried to apply strict security policies, but failed, because the security lid couldn't be safely fastened on a machine that should do standard tasks.
I still don't get the idea of a host file. The host file contains a list of hosts which somewhere contain some vicious content, right? But it doesn't contain a list of all vicious things. So I still have to be as vigilant as ever when I surf the web, but a large part of the web is locked out for me, because the pages are on a server with some nasty stuff somewhere, where I'm not going to look for it, and where I anyhow didn't intend to click on it. I may be missing something here, but to me this seems complete rubbish.
Yes and no. Mostly no. It measures output per hour compared to an index set at 100 for 1992. In other words, it measures the difference within a country compared to 1992. If the French were more productive already in 1992 it is a pretty good chance they still are. (Or "we", then. I work in France.)
It's not a subject I feel very much for, so I cannot be bothered to dig out the references, but I have seen consistent statistics for several years showing French output per hour in absolute terms being higher than the American one. The Economist usually claims so anyhow.
It is illegal in the US. It is perfectly legal in many other countries - probably most other countries. That doesn't always mean that you can buy dezoned players in any shop of course. But if you know how to do it yourself it is mostly legal.
In France it is fairly standard that a new DVD costs around 30 euro, which is more than US$35. Luckily there are plenty of special offers down to around 10 euro and lower.
I buy movies because I usually watch just a few minutes of them a day. If it takes a full week to watch a film, it is often cheaper to buy than to to rent.
If you really enjoy working with hightech and feel pretty sure you will feel the same in 10 to 20 years from now, just go for it. Passionate people are needed in any sector. But don't rule out moving abroad for some time to get the best possible job.
I doubt that very, very much. Apple a dominant PC platform? What about the competition laws? Would they allow one company to produce only software which only allows for their own hardware, if that software had 90% of the market? Would the business world even buy software from a company with no negotiation margins? Apple aren't interested in dominating the market. Their main purpose is making money, and they have different ways to do that.
The only current system that could replace Windows is a nix system that isn't linked to hardware, like Linux, but they have a long, long way to go.
I'm not. I have been without a television for four years now, and I love switching it on when I'm staying at hotels. The great thing with a television is that it shows you things you didn't know you were looking for. You switch it on, and a story, some images or some facts you didn't know anything about come to you. The only reason I haven't bought one, is that I cannot see how I could make time to both watch television and do all the other things I do.
There are of course some areas of the world where the available programs are less inspiring than elsewhere, but on the whole, I think it is a great invention.
"Yes, difficult to believe... if you're 16 years old. Jesus, it was less than 20 years ago that VCRs became ubiquitous."
I'd guess it wouldn't help to be 16 years old. There were no VCRs around when I was a kid. There are hardly any VCRs around today either, as everything is replaced with DVDs. The only persons agreeing with the article author would be someone born around 1985 who tragically died around 2000, so they never got to see the DVD revolution.
Frankly, if I see that kind of text on a web page, I stop reading right there. Even if the site against all odds contains some real information hidden away in some corner, it will take too much time for me to look for it, unless I'm convinced beforehand that it is vital for me.
However, even if my scenario with preinstallation wouldn't turn out true, MS has the same problem with the internet cafés. If you have a Chinese internet café with 100 PCs, where most customers are students who pay $1 an hour, then you really want the cheapest solution. Otherwise they will go nextdoor where they only have to pay .80 an hour. Currently, there is no price difference between Linux and Windows, as Windows is pirated. If licences are enforced, Linux is likely to get at least a decent market share.
It's not like they all want the latest and greatest OS. I encountered installations of Windows 98 when I was there last year.
However, quite a few people will probably keep the default OS out of laziness, if nothing else, so Windows will loose market share. Until now, there are a fair number of Chinese internet sites (and software) that only work with Windows, but if enough people will use the default Linux system, those sites will have to adapt. This will make it even less attractive to install pirate Windows.
So, how will this hurt MS? They don't get any money worth talking about from the Chinese market today. Their problem is that if a large portion of the Chinese start using Linux, international web sites that sell to the Chinese, will also have to adapt to Linux. And that means that Linux will be a more viable alternative for the international public too.
This may be wishful thinking, but I think there is a fair chance that this scenario will take place.
Some of us are actually interested in the science of evolution, but it is next to impossible to find posts about that in this swamp of pro-contra-creationism posts.
For exactly the reason I mentioned: the profit isn't big enough.
Dell offers options which make a business sense, like RAM and harddisk space, because they know enough people make a distinction and are willing to pay for the difference. They do not offer keyboards with the all vowels highlighted with pink colour, as hardly anyone would like that option.
Does MS put pressure on Dell to limit the sales of non-Windows PCs? I'm sure they do. MS would hardly keep the present price levels to Dell, if Dell suddenly burst out being a huge provider of computers for the Linux world. However, they do not forbid Dell to sell any non-Windows machines. As mentioned elsewhere, the n-series is sold with FreeDOS or RedHat to businesses, who are likely to make big enough purchases. In the end Dell makes a business decision.