Without telling you how to do your job, have you considered KHTML as an alternative? If you're using C++ it's worth looking at, and the developers reputedly put a lot of effort into code clarity and documentation even at the expense of getting features quickly.
The submitter didn't bother finding out which OS the worm was for, or anything, and hell will freeze over before a slashdot editor actually checks something like that.
It's actually flash rather than shockwave, stupid inaccurate summary. I assure you there is no shockwave player for linux, if there was I'd be playing miniclip's horribly addictive word leaves game right now.
What does "clever" have to do with my desire to be exposed to it?
The OP used "clever" to refer to ads he liked.
The bottom line is that advertisers are NOT on my side. For as long as I live in a capitalist society, they will remain the bane of my existence.
They don't aim to irritate you, not out of friendship but simple self-interest. If you don't buy from advertisers who irritate you, but do a bit from those whose ads you enjoy, and there will be some, then the latter will prosper, and that's the kind of advertising you will get.
Surely the machine has to be able to produce valid vouchers. If the machine thinks the server just told it to pay out at 120%, it won't question, it won't print "fake" vouchers - you'll just look to have been lucky.
AIUI the server isn't handling the money, just telling the machine what the payoff should be. So you pretend to be the server and tell the machine to raise the payout rate to 150%, then just keep playing it.
It wasn't the beauty, it was the marketing. They got it accepted as a fashion accessory - but the way they did it was not to make the thing more beautiful, it was to market it better. Also, the hundreds of brainless zealots who support Apple no matter what they do doubtless helped matters a bit.
The worse the advertising gets, the more ubiquitous, the more targeted -- the less I will watch, the less I will pay attention.
The point is that the more targeted it is, the less annoying it will get. The company that made the clever advertisement is more likely to be bought from. Once the industry understands what you think is clever, every advert you see will be a clever one. Every one will be one you like.
$499 for a desktop computer that is half the size of a cappuccino pc that is usually more expensive for the same components is a premium?
It's usually going to be the same components whatever you get. When you consider what you can get for the same price it is a premium - remember your mini doesn't include any of the peripherals, which are normally included in the price of any PC it's compared to. You can get a faster PC for less, that's a fact, plain and simple. You get the software, you get the nicely designed case, you get the small form factor. If those are things that matter to you, pay the premium for them. They don't to me.
how about $1999 for a machine that is comparable to an alienware box?
There are PCs that perform as well as the top Apples for less than that, definitely.
its not a "premium" if you compare it to non-cheap-ass PC hardware
Yes it is. It's not as big a premium, but it's still there.
and you write off the software as if it isn't a big deal
Because it isn't for me, I tend to use open stuff anyway. Anyway, this whole story is about getting the software working on non-premium hardware, which means you get the whole mac experience without the cost.
Motherboards, chipsets, video cards, hell even computer cases are all part of the Apple experience.
And most of them are the same. The chipsets are by and large the same as in your PC. The video cards are often identical. The motherboard may be different (or may not with the new machines), but many of the chips will be the same. Back when Apple was using their own nonstandard busses for things etc. there was something to saying an Apple was different, but these days the CPU was the last internal thing that was truly different, and now that's gone.
If you want to believe that the only "premium" you're paying for is the operating system, then believe it all you like.
I'm believing it from my experience. You get reasonable components, possibly better than the average PC since cost is the top factor for many, but nothing you can't get cheaper for a PC. You get good assembly. You get some expensive apps as well as the OS. You get a nicely designed case. If these are things that matter to you then by all means pay the premium for them. They don't to me.
But when you run out and try one of the machines, you'll realize there's a lot more to it.
I've tried them. They break down just about as much as my linux boxes. If you put the same OS on them, they're not really distinguishable to me except when I open them up to upgrade things. They may be prettier, they may be quieter, but neither of these are things I notice.
Apple puts serious time into making their product work, and to making it work, every single time. They put serious effort into having good tech support...They put serious effort into making sure the ram your system uses is of quality.
Not IME. The typical apple hardware fails just as much as - ok, maybe not the typical pc hardware (though IME there is no difference, but I can see many PCs use absolute bargain basement parts that will fail a bit more than quality stuf), but just as much as similar quality pc components, which can be had for significantly less. Some claim that the random crashing often seen on windows machines is due to bad ram, but since it's disappeared on every machine I've switched to linux, I think it's just windows being windows.
Most PC vendors are bidding in a market to get the cheapest, working parts they can find, and if you like your machines to run like that, then by all means I won't stop you. But before I went to Apple, I built my machine with premium parts that I raed reviews on and made sure were of quality. After doing the same with Apple's components, and finding out it was, in the end, much cheaper to go with their pre-built machine, I switched.
I'm typing this on a cheapest working type machine, which gave me no trouble at all in terms of hardware failures for 3 years or so and is still perfectly usable though some of the hardware is now starting to go. But I've also built a quality machine, I and am confident it was cheaper than a performance-equivalent Apple. It may not have had the look of the case, or been as quiet perhaps, but in terms of functionality and looking at the hardware alone it is superior for the price.
Besides, if you call a hundred or two bucks a premium, then your really talking bottom barrel parts. Apple doesn't even want your money if you're not willing to spend it.
I'm happy to spend my money on things which are valuable to me. An attractive case doesn't matter when I'm never looking at the thing. I'll get parts which are as good as I think I need, and find I can get them overall cheaper with a PC, probably because of higher volume and the fact there are multiple vendors competing, which drives the price down. I enjoy putting computers together so don't mind about having it assembled, and I like my software open so Apple's OS and software, as good as they are, don't really interest me. Being able to throw money away may be a nice position to be in, but doing it is just stupid.
Apple's "higher quality parts" is a myth, IME (I have used the things, and if anything they go wrong (through hardware failure, the typical PC is so stuffed with spyware it will crash at the drop of a hat, but that's another question) more than PCs). The fans may be quieter, but they're no less likely to break, and most of the solid state parts are the exact same ones you'd find in a cheaper PC. If the elegance of the external design matters to you then by all means pay for it, but the box I'm using sits at my feet where it isn't even in my field of vision most of the time.
If it was GPL (as some of ID's engine releases are) then they certainly could. Sure, anyone who bought their game would have the right to sell copies to their friends, but let's face it, that happens quite a bit anyway. Or they could just keep their models, textures etc. and not license them for redistribution. Redistribute the engine all you like, people can play total conversions with it, but if you want the actual game you still have to buy the CD.
Not really. These are x86 chips made by Intel themselves, so the only thing your mac hardware premium (and don't try and claim it doesn't exist) is going on is the software and the pretty boxes. It's more like reflashing your video card to behave like a more expensive model, something many of us here applaud.
Yeah, that makes about as much sense as watching Fox News for the views of the "average American."
Believe it or not I do do that, though I also watch CNN etc. If there were another major TV channel in Iraq I would watch it to get a more balanced view, but as far as I know there isn't.
Your typical, bias that agrees with your opinion is GOOD but bias that disagrees with your opinion is BAD.
I do my best to avoid bias. The way to do that is to consider as many opinions as possible.
It's not out of context. The entire thread is right there for all to see. You're trying to bolster a bogus argument by equivocating.
It was out of context in your post. I defended saying he'd done something wrong, but below I wasn't implying that. It doesn't matter if I was implying that, because I've defended saying that elsewhere, but I wasn't actually trying to imply that at that particular point. You're nitpicking and insulting because you have no reply to my actual points.
So you only use them in countries where you're confident you won't be tortured. I think the UK is still in that category, at least if you're a British citizen.
Why? The algorithm they used (I've actually tried to implement it) is no more secure than any of the others he lists, the only advantage (which is a disadvantage for contracts and things) is deniability of messages.
Slashdot Mirror
Without telling you how to do your job, have you considered KHTML as an alternative? If you're using C++ it's worth looking at, and the developers reputedly put a lot of effort into code clarity and documentation even at the expense of getting features quickly.
Java's versioning is fucked. But then Java itself is fucked.
The submitter didn't bother finding out which OS the worm was for, or anything, and hell will freeze over before a slashdot editor actually checks something like that.
It's actually flash rather than shockwave, stupid inaccurate summary. I assure you there is no shockwave player for linux, if there was I'd be playing miniclip's horribly addictive word leaves game right now.
that they chose to do it in shockwave, which has no player available for linux?
The OP used "clever" to refer to ads he liked.
The bottom line is that advertisers are NOT on my side. For as long as I live in a capitalist society, they will remain the bane of my existence.
They don't aim to irritate you, not out of friendship but simple self-interest. If you don't buy from advertisers who irritate you, but do a bit from those whose ads you enjoy, and there will be some, then the latter will prosper, and that's the kind of advertising you will get.
Surely the machine has to be able to produce valid vouchers. If the machine thinks the server just told it to pay out at 120%, it won't question, it won't print "fake" vouchers - you'll just look to have been lucky.
AIUI the server isn't handling the money, just telling the machine what the payoff should be. So you pretend to be the server and tell the machine to raise the payout rate to 150%, then just keep playing it.
My sony (yes, I know, evil and all, but it works) cd-based mp3 player does fastforward/rewind within a track just fine.
It wasn't the beauty, it was the marketing. They got it accepted as a fashion accessory - but the way they did it was not to make the thing more beautiful, it was to market it better. Also, the hundreds of brainless zealots who support Apple no matter what they do doubtless helped matters a bit.
Could you plug your own cable in and pretend to be the server? Not that I want to face casino security, but it's an interesting scenario.
The point is that the more targeted it is, the less annoying it will get. The company that made the clever advertisement is more likely to be bought from. Once the industry understands what you think is clever, every advert you see will be a clever one. Every one will be one you like.
It's usually going to be the same components whatever you get. When you consider what you can get for the same price it is a premium - remember your mini doesn't include any of the peripherals, which are normally included in the price of any PC it's compared to. You can get a faster PC for less, that's a fact, plain and simple. You get the software, you get the nicely designed case, you get the small form factor. If those are things that matter to you, pay the premium for them. They don't to me.
how about $1999 for a machine that is comparable to an alienware box?
There are PCs that perform as well as the top Apples for less than that, definitely.
its not a "premium" if you compare it to non-cheap-ass PC hardware
Yes it is. It's not as big a premium, but it's still there.
and you write off the software as if it isn't a big deal
Because it isn't for me, I tend to use open stuff anyway. Anyway, this whole story is about getting the software working on non-premium hardware, which means you get the whole mac experience without the cost.
And most of them are the same. The chipsets are by and large the same as in your PC. The video cards are often identical. The motherboard may be different (or may not with the new machines), but many of the chips will be the same. Back when Apple was using their own nonstandard busses for things etc. there was something to saying an Apple was different, but these days the CPU was the last internal thing that was truly different, and now that's gone.
If you want to believe that the only "premium" you're paying for is the operating system, then believe it all you like.
I'm believing it from my experience. You get reasonable components, possibly better than the average PC since cost is the top factor for many, but nothing you can't get cheaper for a PC. You get good assembly. You get some expensive apps as well as the OS. You get a nicely designed case. If these are things that matter to you then by all means pay the premium for them. They don't to me.
But when you run out and try one of the machines, you'll realize there's a lot more to it.
I've tried them. They break down just about as much as my linux boxes. If you put the same OS on them, they're not really distinguishable to me except when I open them up to upgrade things. They may be prettier, they may be quieter, but neither of these are things I notice.
Apple puts serious time into making their product work, and to making it work, every single time. They put serious effort into having good tech support...They put serious effort into making sure the ram your system uses is of quality.
Not IME. The typical apple hardware fails just as much as - ok, maybe not the typical pc hardware (though IME there is no difference, but I can see many PCs use absolute bargain basement parts that will fail a bit more than quality stuf), but just as much as similar quality pc components, which can be had for significantly less. Some claim that the random crashing often seen on windows machines is due to bad ram, but since it's disappeared on every machine I've switched to linux, I think it's just windows being windows.
Most PC vendors are bidding in a market to get the cheapest, working parts they can find, and if you like your machines to run like that, then by all means I won't stop you. But before I went to Apple, I built my machine with premium parts that I raed reviews on and made sure were of quality. After doing the same with Apple's components, and finding out it was, in the end, much cheaper to go with their pre-built machine, I switched.
I'm typing this on a cheapest working type machine, which gave me no trouble at all in terms of hardware failures for 3 years or so and is still perfectly usable though some of the hardware is now starting to go. But I've also built a quality machine, I and am confident it was cheaper than a performance-equivalent Apple. It may not have had the look of the case, or been as quiet perhaps, but in terms of functionality and looking at the hardware alone it is superior for the price.
Besides, if you call a hundred or two bucks a premium, then your really talking bottom barrel parts. Apple doesn't even want your money if you're not willing to spend it.
I'm happy to spend my money on things which are valuable to me. An attractive case doesn't matter when I'm never looking at the thing. I'll get parts which are as good as I think I need, and find I can get them overall cheaper with a PC, probably because of higher volume and the fact there are multiple vendors competing, which drives the price down. I enjoy putting computers together so don't mind about having it assembled, and I like my software open so Apple's OS and software, as good as they are, don't really interest me. Being able to throw money away may be a nice position to be in, but doing it is just stupid.
Apple's "higher quality parts" is a myth, IME (I have used the things, and if anything they go wrong (through hardware failure, the typical PC is so stuffed with spyware it will crash at the drop of a hat, but that's another question) more than PCs). The fans may be quieter, but they're no less likely to break, and most of the solid state parts are the exact same ones you'd find in a cheaper PC. If the elegance of the external design matters to you then by all means pay for it, but the box I'm using sits at my feet where it isn't even in my field of vision most of the time.
If it was GPL (as some of ID's engine releases are) then they certainly could. Sure, anyone who bought their game would have the right to sell copies to their friends, but let's face it, that happens quite a bit anyway. Or they could just keep their models, textures etc. and not license them for redistribution. Redistribute the engine all you like, people can play total conversions with it, but if you want the actual game you still have to buy the CD.
Unreal Tournament can already do that, as can anything that uses SDL (e.g. frozen bubble or I think wargus)
Not really. These are x86 chips made by Intel themselves, so the only thing your mac hardware premium (and don't try and claim it doesn't exist) is going on is the software and the pretty boxes. It's more like reflashing your video card to behave like a more expensive model, something many of us here applaud.
Why don't you go back to the playground where you can find the level of discourse you seem to be more suited to?
Believe it or not I do do that, though I also watch CNN etc. If there were another major TV channel in Iraq I would watch it to get a more balanced view, but as far as I know there isn't.
Your typical, bias that agrees with your opinion is GOOD but bias that disagrees with your opinion is BAD.
I do my best to avoid bias. The way to do that is to consider as many opinions as possible.
It was out of context in your post. I defended saying he'd done something wrong, but below I wasn't implying that. It doesn't matter if I was implying that, because I've defended saying that elsewhere, but I wasn't actually trying to imply that at that particular point. You're nitpicking and insulting because you have no reply to my actual points.
So you only use them in countries where you're confident you won't be tortured. I think the UK is still in that category, at least if you're a British citizen.
PGP without ascii armour has magic numbers that will make it pretty obvious what it is (Try running unix file on such a file)
Why? The algorithm they used (I've actually tried to implement it) is no more secure than any of the others he lists, the only advantage (which is a disadvantage for contracts and things) is deniability of messages.
I think Al Jazeera is likely to give an accurate picture of the average Iraqi's view of the invasion though.