- File formats - easy - just make sure everything is stored in an open format, or something so ubiquitous its as good as an open format (odt, txt, jpg, pdf, csv, ogg, etc) and it will be readable forever.
- Physical media - this is the risk - most new machines these days can't read 3 1/2" floppies, let alone anything older, but so long as you migrate contents of your old physical media onto new media formats - AND you have multiple copies of important stuff - that shouldn't be a problem.
... yet when everyone is used to MS Office 2003 and then they move everything around in 2007.. the same people who "can't find anything in OO" praise O2007 as being "new" "awesome" and "revolutionary".
A common theme that the people complaining about offering "free family help" bring up, is that they might live (for example) away from their family and visit them for a weekend (over Thanksgiving/Christmas/etc) and then spend the entire weekend fixing their computers. That *IS* a legitimate complaint IMHO.
I've noticed costs for retraining somehow are never an issue when changing from eg., MS Office 2003 to 2007, or XP to Win7, but are showstoppers when open source software is involved.
Linux works great for users at the extreme ends of the scale. No experience (if people only need a web browser and email client, perfect), or lots of experience. It doesn't really work for the people with just enough knowledge on how to tinker with Windows, but not enough knowledge that they can't do the same tinkering with a Linux system... or people who have installed a couple of Windows specific applications and want to keep them. If they want to learn, or the apps can work under WINE, then it can work for these people too.
I was on XP and gradually changed all the apps that I use over to open source equivalents (Firefox, OpenOffice, etc. - app which were available on both platforms). It made switching to Ubuntu a lot easier when I did it (since 8.04)
Interesting point about the fixing a car comment. My father-in-law is a mechanic (works for himself). He services my and my wife's cars, and we get invoices for them. I fix their computer, I never charge them. I never really thought about it. They are the only people who ask for free tech support, and it's not very often, so I guess it's not too much of a strain.
My mother-in-law gives us 1 day a week of free childcare (plus the occasional extra hour or two every so often) so I guess that has to count for something!
"Isn't much to do" ? It comes with more software than Windows and has a very clear link to the Ubuntu Software Centre which provides access to tens of thousands more, any of which can be installed just by ticking a box, all for free.
If they don't want to learn to use linux, tell them to get a mac and be done with it.
if they don't want to learn linux, why do you think they would want to learn using a mac? (for anyone with years of windows experience ingrained, there IS a learning curve either way)
Stage 1 - Scottsdale, Smithton and Midway Point - were announced in Aug this year, will have backhaul fibre done by end of the year, homes physically connected in Mar 2010 and will have services available in June 2010.
Stage 2 - Deloraine, George Town, St Helens, Sorell, Triabunna, Kingston Beach and South Hobart - was announced last week - I expect a similar timeframe (ie. probably live in Oct 2010, but this is only my assumption.)
And yes, the installation of fibre has actually started (unless you believe these pictures are computer generated just to fool us.)
The coverage maps are available online and they cover the entirety of the towns/suburbs specified. Not just new estates. Not surprising, since Aurora Energy - the Tasmanian Government's partner in the successful NBN bid - has been running a brownfields FTTH trial since June 2007 in Devonport, New Town and part of South Hobart.
Considering the copper network has lasted 80-100 years and got us from cracky analogue voice to ADSL2+, I expect fibre will last us 25 years without breaking a sweat.
Although I agree that the project has a whole has a lot of question marks over it, it would be nice if people were a bit less sarcastic and cynical.
The Roadway would be a completely interconnected-grid. It doesn't snow everywhere all the time. Power from the sunny parts of the grid is transmitted to the snowy parts of the grid to emit as heat.
Yeah, I'm sure there is a lot more to it than that (the cost of transmitting, the demands from other parts of the grid) but you can express this without the attitude.
Exactly how is the electricity going to work? Am I getting free electricity? I mean if my taxes paid for it, I should get it free, right? Or huge discount?
According to their website, businesses will be able to use their car parks, residences use their driveways, etc. to power their own sites.
I suppose the roads will power (apart from themselves) buildings without a lot of pavement space, like multi-story apartment blocks and skyscrapers.
Slashdot Mirror
From what I've heard residents of the UK generally deny they are part of "Europe", they like to keep a separate identity.
This topic involves two vastly different things:
- File formats - easy - just make sure everything is stored in an open format, or something so ubiquitous its as good as an open format (odt, txt, jpg, pdf, csv, ogg, etc) and it will be readable forever.
- Physical media - this is the risk - most new machines these days can't read 3 1/2" floppies, let alone anything older, but so long as you migrate contents of your old physical media onto new media formats - AND you have multiple copies of important stuff - that shouldn't be a problem.
... yet when everyone is used to MS Office 2003 and then they move everything around in 2007.. the same people who "can't find anything in OO" praise O2007 as being "new" "awesome" and "revolutionary".
Double standards anyone?
http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/photography-ads-1970s#adcwexrmsrah0z8r
A lot of text in ads back then! Try publishing something like that these days and you'd get a response of "TL;DR".
Crappy ASCII art based shareware game... Kingdom of Kroz... "borrowed" it's name from Zork.
Let them into the World Cup and next thing you know they think they can join the space race!
A common theme that the people complaining about offering "free family help" bring up, is that they might live (for example) away from their family and visit them for a weekend (over Thanksgiving/Christmas/etc) and then spend the entire weekend fixing their computers. That *IS* a legitimate complaint IMHO.
I've noticed costs for retraining somehow are never an issue when changing from eg., MS Office 2003 to 2007, or XP to Win7, but are showstoppers when open source software is involved.
Linux works great for users at the extreme ends of the scale. No experience (if people only need a web browser and email client, perfect), or lots of experience. It doesn't really work for the people with just enough knowledge on how to tinker with Windows, but not enough knowledge that they can't do the same tinkering with a Linux system... or people who have installed a couple of Windows specific applications and want to keep them. If they want to learn, or the apps can work under WINE, then it can work for these people too.
I was on XP and gradually changed all the apps that I use over to open source equivalents (Firefox, OpenOffice, etc. - app which were available on both platforms). It made switching to Ubuntu a lot easier when I did it (since 8.04)
Interesting point about the fixing a car comment. My father-in-law is a mechanic (works for himself). He services my and my wife's cars, and we get invoices for them. I fix their computer, I never charge them. I never really thought about it. They are the only people who ask for free tech support, and it's not very often, so I guess it's not too much of a strain.
My mother-in-law gives us 1 day a week of free childcare (plus the occasional extra hour or two every so often) so I guess that has to count for something!
"Isn't much to do" ? It comes with more software than Windows and has a very clear link to the Ubuntu Software Centre which provides access to tens of thousands more, any of which can be installed just by ticking a box, all for free.
If they don't want to learn to use linux, tell them to get a mac and be done with it.
if they don't want to learn linux, why do you think they would want to learn using a mac? (for anyone with years of windows experience ingrained, there IS a learning curve either way)
Americans bagging Brits. As an Australian, I'm torn as to which side to take. I guess I'll just have to bag the New Zealanders instead.
This hasn't started yet.
http://www.itnews.com.au/Gallery/156668,down-in-the-trenches---rolling-out-tasmanias-nbn-fibre-network.aspx
is it really a good idea to buy the most lavish system possible today
We haven't hit fibre optic's speed limit in the last 30 years. Do you think we are going to instantly hit it as soon as the NBN gets deployed?
Have you actually been following the progress?
Stage 1 - Scottsdale, Smithton and Midway Point - were announced in Aug this year, will have backhaul fibre done by end of the year, homes physically connected in Mar 2010 and will have services available in June 2010.
Stage 2 - Deloraine, George Town, St Helens, Sorell, Triabunna, Kingston Beach and South Hobart - was announced last week - I expect a similar timeframe (ie. probably live in Oct 2010, but this is only my assumption.)
And yes, the installation of fibre has actually started (unless you believe these pictures are computer generated just to fool us.)
The coverage maps are available online and they cover the entirety of the towns/suburbs specified. Not just new estates. Not surprising, since Aurora Energy - the Tasmanian Government's partner in the successful NBN bid - has been running a brownfields FTTH trial since June 2007 in Devonport, New Town and part of South Hobart.
So we're all going to have super faster Internet, where's the overseas capacity coming from?
From the five extremely under-utilised existing international links, I would expect.
No-one's suggesting the equivalent of driveways. They're suggesting the equivalent of suburban roads.
$5000 per home over what time period?
25 years? That's $200 per year per household.
Considering the copper network has lasted 80-100 years and got us from cracky analogue voice to ADSL2+, I expect fibre will last us 25 years without breaking a sweat.
To elaborate, there is still NO indication that Australia's fabled broadband network is ever going to eventuate.
The fibre that can be physically seen being installed 20km from my house is a pretty good indication to me.
but because the name is too close to CISRO that it would confuse a jury
... looks like a jury wouldn't be the only one confused.
Are you referring to the CSIRO, or the people posting here who claim they [the CSIRO] are patent trolls? :P
Although I agree that the project has a whole has a lot of question marks over it, it would be nice if people were a bit less sarcastic and cynical.
The Roadway would be a completely interconnected-grid. It doesn't snow everywhere all the time. Power from the sunny parts of the grid is transmitted to the snowy parts of the grid to emit as heat.
Yeah, I'm sure there is a lot more to it than that (the cost of transmitting, the demands from other parts of the grid) but you can express this without the attitude.
Exactly how is the electricity going to work? Am I getting free electricity? I mean if my taxes paid for it, I should get it free, right? Or huge discount?
According to their website, businesses will be able to use their car parks, residences use their driveways, etc. to power their own sites.
I suppose the roads will power (apart from themselves) buildings without a lot of pavement space, like multi-story apartment blocks and skyscrapers.
Good point. I wonder then... if anyone can think of a sport/competition where missing limbs/parts would be considered advantageous?
I"m sure there must be, but can't think of anything right now...
Missing legs - rowing/canoeing/kayaking - less weight?