umm, but isn't that part of the problem. I'm using OS X, and I don't run as root. By default the OS gives you an admin account (and asks for you admin password any time anything outside of your user account has to be modified), but not root. In fact, its not immediately obvious anywhere in the GUI how you can switch to root. You can use the NetInfo manager in the GUI to switch to root, but this is an application that most OS X users will never use. Of course, you can use the terminal to do it the old fashioned was as well. Running a non root account puts a lot of system files and services outside the scope of you and your applications (unless you specifically want to log in and fuck with them). Why does windows give regular Joes root access by default.
Would it, perhaps, be possible to use two sets of sails aligned to two different stars to generate the forces necessary for movement in a certain direction. One set of sails could generate the same sort of force, in the opposite direction, that water would create in a sailboat. That way you would be able to the same "reach" sort of effect that you described in a sailboat.
Slight change you forgot to incorporate there. One which is particularly relevant in the case of the Borg.
to boldly destroy what no man......................no one.................has destroyed before.
Cue signatures and crying
I think this is the reason that SLI is only available on the PCIe cards. PCIe provides an independent bus for each component. This means that, not only can components communicate with the processor very quickly, but also each other. My understanding is that the processor is also connected to the rest of the components in your system using a PCIe bus. So, due to PCIe, both the cards can communicate with each other as quickly as they are communicating with the processor. This should make it possible to have the data requisite for AA present on both cards.
Hmm, I have an ingenious solution for that. Don't take it out of your intended device. Just because a particular form factor allows for portability doesn't mean you have to use it that way. This is like saying hot swappable hard drives are bad, because what if I loose one.
Ok, but don't you think that we don't have enough information about the technology yet to just write it off. If the cards come out with sizable storage capacities, they could replace HD's on MP3 players and laptops. The fact that they're substantially faster than existing cards is exciting news in itself. Perhaps this is just one step closer to a complete solid state storage system in your laptop. I, personally, would love to get rid of my hard drive. It uses a lot of power, makes noise, takes up a lot of space, and is prone to failure.
Nothing to see here, are you insane. Depending on what the price of the card is, this could potentially replace hard drives in many applications. If its cheap enough, perhaps even in Laptops. Its transfer speed is fast enough to replace a hard drive, plus, being solid state, it won't develop mechanical problems. It'll take up substantially less space and consume less power. In this age of miniaturization, and subsequent problems with power consumption and heat output, it seems a great solution.
Yeah, very clever. Look, I think it's pretty clear what's being referred to as P2P software here. Unless you're a lawyer, and want me to qualify myself by giving you a 100 page definition of P2P, lets just leave it to common sense.
PS. congrats on being to only legitimate user of P2P in the world.
I think this argument is bullshit. I've seen it used on Slashdot on many different occasions, and the analogies are almost always senseless. I know quite a few people that have a gun. Out of those people, I don't know anyone who's actually used one to kill someone. I can assure you that if everyone that bought a gun became a murderer, they would become illegal quite quickly.
However, everyone I know who has P2P software uses it for pirating either music, porn, or movies. I think this is probably the case with most of you as well. How many people do you know who actually use P2P for collaborative work (lol, what a joke).
The car analogy is even dumber. What percentage of cars that are sold are used as getaway vehicles. Not too many, I should think. The percentages for P2P just don't work out. This argument is just fucking senseless.
The scope and the rifle are already calibrated. If you use a stand alone scope, where exactly will you fit the antenna. I actually think its pretty cool. Wonder what their defense would be if they got caught pointing the rifle at someone.
For the price of an iBook, you will usually get a 1-1.2 Ghz Pentium M notebook. Well guess what, with the iBook you get a 1-1.2 Ghz G4. Last time I checked 1/1 or 1.25/1/25=1. On top of that, the iBook comes with an entry level (3D game capable) ATI GPU. The Pentium notebook will probably have Intel integrated graphics.
As far as the eMac is concerned, you might get a PC desktop with twice the computing power for the price. You still won't get a decent GPU with it though. It will also have cheap, third rate, components. I think we've had enough of the FUD now.
First of all, there is nothing zealous about continuing to use Firefox because a couple of exploits have been discovered. There hare hundreds, if not thousands, of exploits for IE. So on the security front, it's still a safer proposition. It also happens to have a lot more features than IE. Even putting the security issue aside, one must remember that IE is an obsolete piece of software.
That being said, I think that the proceeding months/years will be interesting. This really is the first time a non-MS product is going to be put under the microscope by the public eye. MS has long argued that their software is not inherently less secure than the alternatives, be it operating systems or web browsers. I don't think we're about to see MacOS or Linux put through their paces the way Firefox is about to be any time soon.
In the following years, Firefox may become a champion of OSS, showing that MS really doesn't know how to design secure software. It may well validate, perhaps unfairly, the security claims made by Linux, MacOS, and a host of other non MS products.
Alternatively, It could fall flat on its face, and be a step back for OSS. If Firefox exploits become as common as IE exploits have been, MS will be yelling I TOLD YOU SO louder than anyone in history. In this scenario, I can see a lot of tails tucked between legs.
I find it fascinating that MS has managed to get such a large market share just by setting the IE default homepage to MSN. Just think what will happen when Longhorn comes out, with its so called integrated internet services. There will always be an MSN search field on your desktop. It'll be there when you're using Excel, Word, Powerpoint. It'll be there when you're editing graphics in Photoshop. It'll be there when you're watching porn.
Make no mistake, MS is taking it to the next level with Longhorn. The days of IE defaults are over. It's now going to be part of your desktop, shoved in your face. Can anyone stand up to that. If the average computer user knew more about their computer than my dog, perhaps. But they don't.
Has anyone seen the Longhorn preview screenshots. There's this big fucking vertical bar covering the right side of your desktop. When I say it's big, I mean its BIG. This bar has all shorts of shit in it that Microsoft can use to drive out competition. It's set up in such a way that it's always visible, even when you're running applications.
Now, from what I can tell, there will be a number of functions you will be able to perform from here. I'm quite sure that internet searching will be one of them. So now the question is, will users continue to use Google even if there is an MSN search field in their direct line of sight every second that they use their computer. Hmm, maybe we should ask Netscape.
I got 10/10 and didn't check any IP addresses, Headers, or domain names. I think most of the scams are extremely obvious.
1) Any email with a link that asks you to enter you credit card information in the linked page is bogus.
2) An email that gives you instructions on how to log on to the company website manually to enter details is ok. If you enter www.paypal.com into your browser yourself, you know its the legit site.
3) Major grammar/spelling mistakes mean its a hoax.
4) Emails that contain an enormous amount of legal information have a higher likelihood of being legit.
5) Emails with information about maintaining account security have a higher likelihood of being correct.
Most companies will now try to avoid sending emails that resemble phishing scams (no links to enter your credit card information). So it should become easier to spot scams now.
We actually have a system like this in Pakistan. Traffic lights are equipped with timers that tell you when the light is going to change. What ends up happening is that some drivers will try to accelerate through the intersection when the light is about to turn red. This can actually cause serious problems if traffic from the other side has already started to flow. So I really don't think its much of a solution.
I'm generally pleased by the progress that some developing countries are making, but this sort of Indian babbling really annoys me. During the age of industrialization, a large working class was borne, engaged primarily in manual labor. They worked inhuman hours primarily for the benefit of the companies which employed them.
India, to quite an extent, has become a large working class countries. While you slave away in your corner of the world, the prime beneficiaries are your American employers. Take a simple example like call centers. While India is making good money out off support outsourcing, it is nothing compared to the money American companies are saving from the same deal. All the software work you're doing, a lot of it is packaged and sold in the world under American brand-names.
Currently you're nothing more than manual labor. American companies are at the top of the value added chain and are, therefore, making the more money. So as you taunt people on this message board, American companies are laughing all the way to the bank, as is the American economy.
What an absolutely stupid statement. It's not possible to tell the difference between good/bad music, because the quality of music can only be measured subjectively. There is nothing such as good or bad music in an absolute sense.
However, one can make certain objective observations about U2. It is evident that they didn't need to use naked girls in their music videos to increase the popularity of their albums. They also have many hits that were/are very popular despite not being in a movie soundtrack.
U2, in my opinion, is a great band. The albums mentioned are also some of my favorites. I had no Idea that they were regarded as highly as they are. Whether you like their music is dependent on your taste in music. However, one should have the intelligence to give credit where credit is due. They succeeded only because many people enjoyed their music. Their success didn't depend on the peripheral publicity that accompanies music these days.
No, the difference is that Mac users don't buy software that doesn't conform to OS X's UI standards. In fact, designing an app with a nonstandard interface is the best way to fail in the Mac market. Most Mac developers are VERY concious of the fact that their apps should blend in well with the OS.
I doubt that Mac users are any smarter than the average computer user. However they may well be more technologically aware than the average user. I say this because most Mac users had to decide to use the mac as opposed to a PC (the market standard). To do this they probably had to assess the strengths and weaknesses of both platforms. People that don't give a damn will usually just buy a PC. Apart from the "it looks cool" crowd of Mac users, most had to know something about both platforms to come to an educated decision as to which to choose.
Why is it always assumed that these Nigerian scams are necessarily run by Nigerians. It's become a pretty common scam format now. There's a good chance you could have a European or American running a Nigerian scam. Talk about globalization.
Nigeria is just a convenient country to pick for the scam because in many peoples minds it's associated with political turmoil. I mean, I don't think it would make sense to pass yourself off as George W, trying to embezzle bribe money from oil companies. Nigeria is just more believable.
Agreed, this just seems to be a case of being dissatisfied and making noise to remain relevant.
For him, computers should be tools for creativity and learning, and they are falling short.(from article)
Oh really. I recently downloaded a great 3D sketch application. It allows me to quickly transform my ideas into 3D sketches without any prior knowledge of CAD based design. Since then I have created four concept houses, one complete with an interior. I am not an architect or a computer artist, but this tool made it possible for me.
If business users were less shortsighted, Kay says, they would seek to create computer models of their companies and constantly simulate potential changes.(from article)
Businesses are already using various tools to chart future strategies, manage their costs, analyze market conditions, etc... It is very difficult to create a complete simulation of a business environment that can intelligently link all the internal and external factors involved in moving a business. If computers could do that, why bother having CEO's and managers. Just fire upper management and have your sophisticated computer with its infallible simulated world giving orders to everyone.
This guy reminds me of the one lecture I once heard from this techie about the wonders of modern technology. One of the examples she gave was the Sony AIBO. According to her it was the perfect replacement for carbon based pets. It didn't shit were it shouldn't, it always listened to you, and responded the way a real dog would to tactile contact. Whats more, unlike a real dog, It could also email pictures to you and record videos. Needless to say, I came to the conclusion that she was mad.
Similarly, in this situation, computer have come a LONG way in the last 20 years. There are sophisticated tools available for people to explore their ideas, regardless of what their area of interest may be. Computers are being used extensively in educational environments. They are adding value to the educational experience. What they are not it tools that have to be used just for the sake of being used. Computers are used where they are needed, and where they can help.
So far I have seen nothing in this article that indicates that this guy is actually working on something useful. He's put across a couple of buzzwords, the sort of thing which many irrelevant techies throw around. I'm surprised that he has the audacity to criticize the effort that has gone into hardware and software development in the last 20 years, without having made any single tangible contribution (in that time) himself.
Agreed, this just seems to be a case of being dissatisfied and making noise to remain relevant.
For him, computers should be tools for creativity and learning, and they are falling short.
Oh really. I recently downloaded a great 3D sketch application. It allows me to quickly transform my ideas into 3D sketches without any prior knowledge of CAD based design. Since then I have created four concept houses, one complete with an interior. I am not an architect or a computer artist, but this tool made it possible for me.
If business users were less shortsighted, Kay says, they would seek to create computer models of their companies and constantly simulate potential changes.
Businesses are already using various tools to chart future strategies, manage their costs, analyze market conditions, etc... It is very difficult to create a complete simulation of a business environment that can intelligently link all the internal and external factors involved in moving a business. If computers could do that, why bother having CEO's and managers. Just fire upper management and have your sophisticated computer with its infallible simulated world giving orders to everyone.
This guy reminds me of the one lecture I once heard from this techie about the wonders of modern technology. One of the examples she gave was the Sony AIBO. According to her it was the perfect replacement for carbon based pets. It didn't shit were it shouldn't, it always listened to you, and responded the way a real dog would to tactile contact. Whats more, unlike a real dog, It could also email pictures to you and record videos. Needless to say, I came to the conclusion that she was mad.
Similarly, in this situation, computer have come a LONG way in the last 20 years. There are sophisticated tools available for people to explore their ideas, regardless of what their area of interest may be. Computers are being used extensively in educational environments. They are adding value to the educational experience. What they are not it tools that have to be used just for the sake of being used. Computers are used where they are needed, and where they can help.
So far I have seen nothing in this article that indicates that this guy is actually working on something useful. He's put across a couple of buzzwords, the sort of thing which many irrelevant techies throw around. I'm surprised that he has the audacity to criticize the effort that has gone into hardware and software development in the last 20 years, without having made any single tangible contribution (in that time) himself.
Its an interesting situation actually. The thing you have to realize is that consumers, as well as corporations, in developing countries are not accustomed to paying licensing fees. I'm from Pakistan. Almost everyone uses Windows here (the only exception being ISP's which are completely dominated by Linux), however almost none of these copies are licensed. A few years ago, MS decided to open up shop in Pakistan, and subsequently started coming down hard on piracy. The result was that, even with government support, they were not able to prevent the privacy of their various products.
So any growth that MS is expecting in the developing world will not really add to their revenue. The concept of intellectual property doesn't even exist here. If they try to come down too hard, people will simply move to open-source alternatives. MS makes most of their money from licensed sales of their products in North America and Europe. There are also the only two regions where intellectual property is respected. If the North American and European market dries up, I really don't see much of an opportunity for them in the rest of the world.
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umm, but isn't that part of the problem. I'm using OS X, and I don't run as root. By default the OS gives you an admin account (and asks for you admin password any time anything outside of your user account has to be modified), but not root. In fact, its not immediately obvious anywhere in the GUI how you can switch to root. You can use the NetInfo manager in the GUI to switch to root, but this is an application that most OS X users will never use. Of course, you can use the terminal to do it the old fashioned was as well. Running a non root account puts a lot of system files and services outside the scope of you and your applications (unless you specifically want to log in and fuck with them). Why does windows give regular Joes root access by default.
Would it, perhaps, be possible to use two sets of sails aligned to two different stars to generate the forces necessary for movement in a certain direction. One set of sails could generate the same sort of force, in the opposite direction, that water would create in a sailboat. That way you would be able to the same "reach" sort of effect that you described in a sailboat.
Slight change you forgot to incorporate there. One which is particularly relevant in the case of the Borg. to boldly destroy what no man......................no one.................has destroyed before. Cue signatures and crying
I think this is the reason that SLI is only available on the PCIe cards. PCIe provides an independent bus for each component. This means that, not only can components communicate with the processor very quickly, but also each other. My understanding is that the processor is also connected to the rest of the components in your system using a PCIe bus. So, due to PCIe, both the cards can communicate with each other as quickly as they are communicating with the processor. This should make it possible to have the data requisite for AA present on both cards.
Hmm, I have an ingenious solution for that. Don't take it out of your intended device. Just because a particular form factor allows for portability doesn't mean you have to use it that way. This is like saying hot swappable hard drives are bad, because what if I loose one.
Ok, but don't you think that we don't have enough information about the technology yet to just write it off. If the cards come out with sizable storage capacities, they could replace HD's on MP3 players and laptops. The fact that they're substantially faster than existing cards is exciting news in itself. Perhaps this is just one step closer to a complete solid state storage system in your laptop. I, personally, would love to get rid of my hard drive. It uses a lot of power, makes noise, takes up a lot of space, and is prone to failure.
Nothing to see here, are you insane. Depending on what the price of the card is, this could potentially replace hard drives in many applications. If its cheap enough, perhaps even in Laptops. Its transfer speed is fast enough to replace a hard drive, plus, being solid state, it won't develop mechanical problems. It'll take up substantially less space and consume less power. In this age of miniaturization, and subsequent problems with power consumption and heat output, it seems a great solution.
Yeah, very clever. Look, I think it's pretty clear what's being referred to as P2P software here. Unless you're a lawyer, and want me to qualify myself by giving you a 100 page definition of P2P, lets just leave it to common sense.
PS. congrats on being to only legitimate user of P2P in the world.
I think this argument is bullshit. I've seen it used on Slashdot on many different occasions, and the analogies are almost always senseless. I know quite a few people that have a gun. Out of those people, I don't know anyone who's actually used one to kill someone. I can assure you that if everyone that bought a gun became a murderer, they would become illegal quite quickly. However, everyone I know who has P2P software uses it for pirating either music, porn, or movies. I think this is probably the case with most of you as well. How many people do you know who actually use P2P for collaborative work (lol, what a joke). The car analogy is even dumber. What percentage of cars that are sold are used as getaway vehicles. Not too many, I should think. The percentages for P2P just don't work out. This argument is just fucking senseless.
The scope and the rifle are already calibrated. If you use a stand alone scope, where exactly will you fit the antenna. I actually think its pretty cool. Wonder what their defense would be if they got caught pointing the rifle at someone.
For the price of an iBook, you will usually get a 1-1.2 Ghz Pentium M notebook. Well guess what, with the iBook you get a 1-1.2 Ghz G4. Last time I checked 1/1 or 1.25/1/25=1. On top of that, the iBook comes with an entry level (3D game capable) ATI GPU. The Pentium notebook will probably have Intel integrated graphics.
As far as the eMac is concerned, you might get a PC desktop with twice the computing power for the price. You still won't get a decent GPU with it though. It will also have cheap, third rate, components. I think we've had enough of the FUD now.
Actually, Windows (the OS) can't be accelerated by gravity since it doesn't have any mass.
First of all, there is nothing zealous about continuing to use Firefox because a couple of exploits have been discovered. There hare hundreds, if not thousands, of exploits for IE. So on the security front, it's still a safer proposition. It also happens to have a lot more features than IE. Even putting the security issue aside, one must remember that IE is an obsolete piece of software.
That being said, I think that the proceeding months/years will be interesting. This really is the first time a non-MS product is going to be put under the microscope by the public eye. MS has long argued that their software is not inherently less secure than the alternatives, be it operating systems or web browsers. I don't think we're about to see MacOS or Linux put through their paces the way Firefox is about to be any time soon.
In the following years, Firefox may become a champion of OSS, showing that MS really doesn't know how to design secure software. It may well validate, perhaps unfairly, the security claims made by Linux, MacOS, and a host of other non MS products.
Alternatively, It could fall flat on its face, and be a step back for OSS. If Firefox exploits become as common as IE exploits have been, MS will be yelling I TOLD YOU SO louder than anyone in history. In this scenario, I can see a lot of tails tucked between legs.
I find it fascinating that MS has managed to get such a large market share just by setting the IE default homepage to MSN. Just think what will happen when Longhorn comes out, with its so called integrated internet services. There will always be an MSN search field on your desktop. It'll be there when you're using Excel, Word, Powerpoint. It'll be there when you're editing graphics in Photoshop. It'll be there when you're watching porn. Make no mistake, MS is taking it to the next level with Longhorn. The days of IE defaults are over. It's now going to be part of your desktop, shoved in your face. Can anyone stand up to that. If the average computer user knew more about their computer than my dog, perhaps. But they don't.
Has anyone seen the Longhorn preview screenshots. There's this big fucking vertical bar covering the right side of your desktop. When I say it's big, I mean its BIG. This bar has all shorts of shit in it that Microsoft can use to drive out competition. It's set up in such a way that it's always visible, even when you're running applications.
Now, from what I can tell, there will be a number of functions you will be able to perform from here. I'm quite sure that internet searching will be one of them. So now the question is, will users continue to use Google even if there is an MSN search field in their direct line of sight every second that they use their computer. Hmm, maybe we should ask Netscape.
I got 10/10 and didn't check any IP addresses, Headers, or domain names. I think most of the scams are extremely obvious. 1) Any email with a link that asks you to enter you credit card information in the linked page is bogus. 2) An email that gives you instructions on how to log on to the company website manually to enter details is ok. If you enter www.paypal.com into your browser yourself, you know its the legit site. 3) Major grammar/spelling mistakes mean its a hoax. 4) Emails that contain an enormous amount of legal information have a higher likelihood of being legit. 5) Emails with information about maintaining account security have a higher likelihood of being correct. Most companies will now try to avoid sending emails that resemble phishing scams (no links to enter your credit card information). So it should become easier to spot scams now.
We actually have a system like this in Pakistan. Traffic lights are equipped with timers that tell you when the light is going to change. What ends up happening is that some drivers will try to accelerate through the intersection when the light is about to turn red. This can actually cause serious problems if traffic from the other side has already started to flow. So I really don't think its much of a solution.
I'm generally pleased by the progress that some developing countries are making, but this sort of Indian babbling really annoys me. During the age of industrialization, a large working class was borne, engaged primarily in manual labor. They worked inhuman hours primarily for the benefit of the companies which employed them.
India, to quite an extent, has become a large working class countries. While you slave away in your corner of the world, the prime beneficiaries are your American employers. Take a simple example like call centers. While India is making good money out off support outsourcing, it is nothing compared to the money American companies are saving from the same deal. All the software work you're doing, a lot of it is packaged and sold in the world under American brand-names.
Currently you're nothing more than manual labor. American companies are at the top of the value added chain and are, therefore, making the more money. So as you taunt people on this message board, American companies are laughing all the way to the bank, as is the American economy.
What an absolutely stupid statement. It's not possible to tell the difference between good/bad music, because the quality of music can only be measured subjectively. There is nothing such as good or bad music in an absolute sense.
However, one can make certain objective observations about U2. It is evident that they didn't need to use naked girls in their music videos to increase the popularity of their albums. They also have many hits that were/are very popular despite not being in a movie soundtrack.
U2, in my opinion, is a great band. The albums mentioned are also some of my favorites. I had no Idea that they were regarded as highly as they are. Whether you like their music is dependent on your taste in music. However, one should have the intelligence to give credit where credit is due. They succeeded only because many people enjoyed their music. Their success didn't depend on the peripheral publicity that accompanies music these days.
No, the difference is that Mac users don't buy software that doesn't conform to OS X's UI standards. In fact, designing an app with a nonstandard interface is the best way to fail in the Mac market. Most Mac developers are VERY concious of the fact that their apps should blend in well with the OS.
I doubt that Mac users are any smarter than the average computer user. However they may well be more technologically aware than the average user. I say this because most Mac users had to decide to use the mac as opposed to a PC (the market standard). To do this they probably had to assess the strengths and weaknesses of both platforms. People that don't give a damn will usually just buy a PC. Apart from the "it looks cool" crowd of Mac users, most had to know something about both platforms to come to an educated decision as to which to choose.
Why is it always assumed that these Nigerian scams are necessarily run by Nigerians. It's become a pretty common scam format now. There's a good chance you could have a European or American running a Nigerian scam. Talk about globalization. Nigeria is just a convenient country to pick for the scam because in many peoples minds it's associated with political turmoil. I mean, I don't think it would make sense to pass yourself off as George W, trying to embezzle bribe money from oil companies. Nigeria is just more believable.
Agreed, this just seems to be a case of being dissatisfied and making noise to remain relevant.
For him, computers should be tools for creativity and learning, and they are falling short.(from article)
Oh really. I recently downloaded a great 3D sketch application. It allows me to quickly transform my ideas into 3D sketches without any prior knowledge of CAD based design. Since then I have created four concept houses, one complete with an interior. I am not an architect or a computer artist, but this tool made it possible for me.
If business users were less shortsighted, Kay says, they would seek to create computer models of their companies and constantly simulate potential changes.(from article)
Businesses are already using various tools to chart future strategies, manage their costs, analyze market conditions, etc... It is very difficult to create a complete simulation of a business environment that can intelligently link all the internal and external factors involved in moving a business. If computers could do that, why bother having CEO's and managers. Just fire upper management and have your sophisticated computer with its infallible simulated world giving orders to everyone.
This guy reminds me of the one lecture I once heard from this techie about the wonders of modern technology. One of the examples she gave was the Sony AIBO. According to her it was the perfect replacement for carbon based pets. It didn't shit were it shouldn't, it always listened to you, and responded the way a real dog would to tactile contact. Whats more, unlike a real dog, It could also email pictures to you and record videos. Needless to say, I came to the conclusion that she was mad.
Similarly, in this situation, computer have come a LONG way in the last 20 years. There are sophisticated tools available for people to explore their ideas, regardless of what their area of interest may be. Computers are being used extensively in educational environments. They are adding value to the educational experience. What they are not it tools that have to be used just for the sake of being used. Computers are used where they are needed, and where they can help.
So far I have seen nothing in this article that indicates that this guy is actually working on something useful. He's put across a couple of buzzwords, the sort of thing which many irrelevant techies throw around. I'm surprised that he has the audacity to criticize the effort that has gone into hardware and software development in the last 20 years, without having made any single tangible contribution (in that time) himself.
Agreed, this just seems to be a case of being dissatisfied and making noise to remain relevant. For him, computers should be tools for creativity and learning, and they are falling short. Oh really. I recently downloaded a great 3D sketch application. It allows me to quickly transform my ideas into 3D sketches without any prior knowledge of CAD based design. Since then I have created four concept houses, one complete with an interior. I am not an architect or a computer artist, but this tool made it possible for me. If business users were less shortsighted, Kay says, they would seek to create computer models of their companies and constantly simulate potential changes. Businesses are already using various tools to chart future strategies, manage their costs, analyze market conditions, etc... It is very difficult to create a complete simulation of a business environment that can intelligently link all the internal and external factors involved in moving a business. If computers could do that, why bother having CEO's and managers. Just fire upper management and have your sophisticated computer with its infallible simulated world giving orders to everyone. This guy reminds me of the one lecture I once heard from this techie about the wonders of modern technology. One of the examples she gave was the Sony AIBO. According to her it was the perfect replacement for carbon based pets. It didn't shit were it shouldn't, it always listened to you, and responded the way a real dog would to tactile contact. Whats more, unlike a real dog, It could also email pictures to you and record videos. Needless to say, I came to the conclusion that she was mad. Similarly, in this situation, computer have come a LONG way in the last 20 years. There are sophisticated tools available for people to explore their ideas, regardless of what their area of interest may be. Computers are being used extensively in educational environments. They are adding value to the educational experience. What they are not it tools that have to be used just for the sake of being used. Computers are used where they are needed, and where they can help. So far I have seen nothing in this article that indicates that this guy is actually working on something useful. He's put across a couple of buzzwords, the sort of thing which many irrelevant techies throw around. I'm surprised that he has the audacity to criticize the effort that has gone into hardware and software development in the last 20 years, without having made any single tangible contribution (in that time) himself.
Its an interesting situation actually. The thing you have to realize is that consumers, as well as corporations, in developing countries are not accustomed to paying licensing fees. I'm from Pakistan. Almost everyone uses Windows here (the only exception being ISP's which are completely dominated by Linux), however almost none of these copies are licensed. A few years ago, MS decided to open up shop in Pakistan, and subsequently started coming down hard on piracy. The result was that, even with government support, they were not able to prevent the privacy of their various products. So any growth that MS is expecting in the developing world will not really add to their revenue. The concept of intellectual property doesn't even exist here. If they try to come down too hard, people will simply move to open-source alternatives. MS makes most of their money from licensed sales of their products in North America and Europe. There are also the only two regions where intellectual property is respected. If the North American and European market dries up, I really don't see much of an opportunity for them in the rest of the world.