many of you are missing the point. PDF allows you not only to download that government tax form,but also interactively populate it with data, put a dig sig on it, save it offline, print it with perfect fidelity, and then hit a submit or an email button and have the XML data get scraped off and placed into a backend server. last time i checked, print, dig sig, and offline weren't exactly HTML strong points. most people are only familiar with the presentation layer of PDF, but it does a lot more we havent even mentioned here.
i have to admit, like a few people have expressed already, i had a really hard time getting through quicksilver. i too found it long winded and overly detailed, if gibson can wax poetic about some fetish techno object, it almost seemed like stephenson tried to accomplish the same with historical detail.
but- i picked up "the confusion" (volume two of the baroque cycle), and i couldnt put it down, dunno why as i never even really finished quicksilver.
i recommend anyone who gave up on the trilogy give this one a try- even those who don't find the series as light as snowcrash can't deny theres some classic stephenson wackiness with the story arc, and it seems like it moves along much better than its predecessor, which established the characters, rather than let them out to play.
dont know if anyone has mentioned this, but it usually takes MS three tries to get something functional and somewhat compelling.
we've seen this in categories like desktop OS Server OS Databases Browser IDE PDA OS Smartphone OS
i'd really be shocked if they got it right on the second try, already it seems like the replacement of the hard drive with RAM seems like a step in the wrong direction.
this rule is particularly true in enterprise software- and typically factored in when planning long term strategy. with five years of breathing space, you can innovate quite a bit to stay ahead of the curve.
about 7 years ago, MS bought an Israeli based analytics company, and people predicted the end of ISV's like Cognos, Business Objects, Crystal and others. now, about 7 years later, they're kinda releasing a 1.5 product that people are chuckling at.
remember SQL server 6.5- no row level locking? version 7, heh, not bad...pretty good bang for the buck...
as a long time gadget freak, im actually pretty excited about the next generation MS smartphone, the motorola mpx220, which fixes all of the crappiness of the second generation.
remember great plains software? the basis of the MS CRM strategy? SAP's not exactly quaking in their boots, but you can bet their thinking about that third release in about five years...
if you believe Eillison's testimony, they're poised to take over the world, and he wakes up nights in a cold sweat.
of course, when that happens, there are countless nubile young asian women to dab his forehead with hundred dollar bills.
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many of you are missing the point. PDF allows you not only to download that government tax form,but also interactively populate it with data, put a dig sig on it, save it offline, print it with perfect fidelity, and then hit a submit or an email button and have the XML data get scraped off and placed into a backend server. last time i checked, print, dig sig, and offline weren't exactly HTML strong points. most people are only familiar with the presentation layer of PDF, but it does a lot more we havent even mentioned here.
i have to admit, like a few people have expressed already, i had a really hard time getting through quicksilver. i too found it long winded and overly detailed, if gibson can wax poetic about some fetish techno object, it almost seemed like stephenson tried to accomplish the same with historical detail. but- i picked up "the confusion" (volume two of the baroque cycle), and i couldnt put it down, dunno why as i never even really finished quicksilver. i recommend anyone who gave up on the trilogy give this one a try- even those who don't find the series as light as snowcrash can't deny theres some classic stephenson wackiness with the story arc, and it seems like it moves along much better than its predecessor, which established the characters, rather than let them out to play.
dont know if anyone has mentioned this, but it usually takes MS three tries to get something functional and somewhat compelling.
we've seen this in categories like
desktop OS
Server OS
Databases
Browser
IDE
PDA OS
Smartphone OS
i'd really be shocked if they got it right on the second try, already it seems like the replacement of the hard drive with RAM seems like a step in the wrong direction.
this rule is particularly true in enterprise software- and typically factored in when planning long term strategy. with five years of breathing space, you can innovate quite a bit to stay ahead of the curve.
about 7 years ago, MS bought an Israeli based analytics company, and people predicted the end of ISV's like Cognos, Business Objects, Crystal and others. now, about 7 years later, they're kinda releasing a 1.5 product that people are chuckling at.
remember SQL server 6.5- no row level locking? version 7, heh, not bad...pretty good bang for the buck...
as a long time gadget freak, im actually pretty excited about the next generation MS smartphone, the motorola mpx220, which fixes all of the crappiness of the second generation.
remember great plains software? the basis of the MS CRM strategy? SAP's not exactly quaking in their boots, but you can bet their thinking about that third release in about five years...
if you believe Eillison's testimony, they're poised to take over the world, and he wakes up nights in a cold sweat.
of course, when that happens, there are countless nubile young asian women to dab his forehead with hundred dollar bills.