You don't need to go into space for sexual cautionary tales like that. For instance, if I recall correctly, there's a filipino tale about a guy who made love to a hole in a tree and became obsessed with it.
This now means, for example, that the PDF manual for Final Cut Express 2 will open with Preview (because that is my default application for displaying PDFs) not with Adobe Reader (because Acrobat 5 was set as the creator code when it was produced)
Which is exactly the problem. These are different things: creating, viewing, and editing, which are all being lumped together under the default "opener".
What's really needed is a default application for each verb: the default editor, default viewer, etc., and a simple way to express which you mean to do. Something like the tabbing in blender to switch modes might work: tab to create/edit mode, your pointer changes to one with an edit motif, double-clicking opens files in your editor; tab to research/view mode, double-clicking opens files in a quick viewer.
Giant Rats are level 9. Jeez. All these n00bs who've never played Dungeon Master, and think they know something about RPGs;)
But seriously... give it a go. It's a very cool (abandonware) game when you get into it. The giant rats might not scare you much, but the giant scorpions, deathknights, and dragons will.
So, the idea is "simple enough that a sophisticated hobbyist could build one in a couple weekends from plans and standard electronics" and yet you are "not an electrical or RF guy so I can't carry out my own independent development on the electronics".
This does not jive.
Of course it jives.
The "simple motion capture idea" involving "RF", you see, is to send out blasts of microwave energy. A simple stereo microphone then listens for footfalls as the participant screams and tries to get away, using the relative footfall volume and a basic anatomy model** to calculate movement vectors. Ideally, screams would also be used for positioning the head in the model, but in trials, it turned out that horrified onlookers unfortunately introduced random anomalous screams.
Anyway, it definitely does jive. In fact, it produces a great many dance moves.
** Human anatomy in v0.1, but soon to include dogs, cats, etc.
the fact that this "basic thing that everyone else takes for granted" doesn't work is is Adobe's fault, not the Linux community's fault.
I really wouldn't be so quick to say that. There are TONS of flaws in X11, and tons of projects underway to fix them. I link to Gallium3D because it's a big one and associated with more, not because it's the only one. Search phoronix for xorg as well, for instance, and start reading. X *is* ancient, after all. With work going on to fix basic things like that, saying it's "not our fault" that a major corporation hasn't managed to make their tried and tested tech work on your system is a bit arrogant.
A complex modern browser could easily be split into separate http and renderer components (Konqueror may work this way), and possibly many simpler components than that.
I don't know where everyone has gotten this "bad_UI == unix" idea from, except maybe from wishful thinking due to denial that Unices need a UI update.
The only "philosophy" unix has about software design is that tools should be orthogonal, as simple as REASONABLE for a task, and interoperable with tools for other tasks, and that some sort of UI should let you easily combine their power.
How does that fit into the modern GUI? As scriptable components, like COM on windows or DCOM/DBUS in KDE. In other words, not single-channel text streams and pipes like this so-called browser promotes or old-style command-line tools promote, but modern objects with clear object-oriented interfaces. However, even after unix gets that, it needs some easy way to link the things together. Where's the thing to link them together? The closest thing I've seen would be Automator, and that's for OS X, not standard unix.
I like unix as much as anyone, but really... Unix people really need to stop shouting about the unix philosophy until they start being the best at it again.
SVG has been around for quite sometime. The first specifications were released in 2001, Every major browser except IE supports SVG out of the box. The biggest reason it has been slow in adoption is the lack of support in IE, which is mostly due to Microsoft's former stagnation between the releases of IE 6.0 and IE 7.
This is all quite true. However, there was another big player that fucked SVG up for us all: Adobe. They made an SVG plugin, but promoted THEIR proprietary code for embedding it, so that even when sites did make SVG for IE with Adobe SVG, it wouldn't actually work in a browser that supported the standard methods.
There was some slight take-off of SVG back then. Might have gotten somewhere, if it wasn't for that bad implementation. It's still largely IE's fault, but I'm sure Adobe could have done better, had they tried.
Once the hot-ice crystallizes at a given spot in the matrix, it cannot crystallize again until you reset the system. (by boiling it and melting all of the crystals)
So, when the crystals form into a circular path in the system execution stops because there's no place for the reaction to spread before it stops.
Don't mention Amigas, or you'll prove the article correct before the debate has begun;) If you do, at least mention anomalies.
Seriously though... while all of these advances are useful, they're hardly revolutionary leaps -- just steady progress.
For me though, this seems pretty natural... we discovered the electromagnetism and the S/W nuclear forces; entirely new forces at the heart of the universe. Of COURSE we're going to make big leaps after that, just like we made big leaps when we discovered fire. But until we make another such discovery, things are going to SEEM to plateau a little. I say seem, because we know expect many things we can do with these new forces. Still, any of the small bits of progress in using these forces would be almost equally magical to people who knew nothing of them.
I expect we'll have plenty more huge leaps in future, when we finally figure out what's going on (and what's not) with string theory, dark energy, etc. Until then, we'll just have to be patient.
After all, we're only a little smarter than chimps. How quickly SHOULD a smart chimp progress?;)
If you throw in Meme Theory, humans would be more like two Amigas: one running a demo which makes it think its running the other demo by choice, when actually neither were a choice.
Yep, now that I think about it a bit, this is probably about the export potential of having a new green power technology tried and tested just when the world really starts looking for options.
Slashdot Mirror
Third-party evidence for Apollo moon landings
You don't need to go into space for sexual cautionary tales like that. For instance, if I recall correctly, there's a filipino tale about a guy who made love to a hole in a tree and became obsessed with it.
I don't get it... where's the duplicated functionality in that? ;)
Which is exactly the problem. These are different things: creating, viewing, and editing, which are all being lumped together under the default "opener".
What's really needed is a default application for each verb: the default editor, default viewer, etc., and a simple way to express which you mean to do. Something like the tabbing in blender to switch modes might work: tab to create/edit mode, your pointer changes to one with an edit motif, double-clicking opens files in your editor; tab to research/view mode, double-clicking opens files in a quick viewer.
Sookie? Is that you? Aah told yah tuh stay inside.
Neither are carrots, but they still make an excellent snack.
Giant Rats are level 9. Jeez. All these n00bs who've never played Dungeon Master, and think they know something about RPGs ;)
But seriously... give it a go. It's a very cool (abandonware) game when you get into it. The giant rats might not scare you much, but the giant scorpions, deathknights, and dragons will.
Of course it jives.
The "simple motion capture idea" involving "RF", you see, is to send out blasts of microwave energy. A simple stereo microphone then listens for footfalls as the participant screams and tries to get away, using the relative footfall volume and a basic anatomy model** to calculate movement vectors. Ideally, screams would also be used for positioning the head in the model, but in trials, it turned out that horrified onlookers unfortunately introduced random anomalous screams.
Anyway, it definitely does jive. In fact, it produces a great many dance moves.
** Human anatomy in v0.1, but soon to include dogs, cats, etc.
I really wouldn't be so quick to say that. There are TONS of flaws in X11, and tons of projects underway to fix them. I link to Gallium3D because it's a big one and associated with more, not because it's the only one. Search phoronix for xorg as well, for instance, and start reading. X *is* ancient, after all. With work going on to fix basic things like that, saying it's "not our fault" that a major corporation hasn't managed to make their tried and tested tech work on your system is a bit arrogant.
Web browsers essentially do four things: ask for pages (possibly when you click on a link), render pages, embed plugins, and run scripts.
HTTP, on the other hand, does eight things: OPTIONS, HEAD, GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, TRACE and CONNECT.
A complex modern browser could easily be split into separate http and renderer components (Konqueror may work this way), and possibly many simpler components than that.
I don't know where everyone has gotten this "bad_UI == unix" idea from, except maybe from wishful thinking due to denial that Unices need a UI update.
The only "philosophy" unix has about software design is that tools should be orthogonal, as simple as REASONABLE for a task, and interoperable with tools for other tasks, and that some sort of UI should let you easily combine their power.
How does that fit into the modern GUI? As scriptable components, like COM on windows or DCOM/DBUS in KDE. In other words, not single-channel text streams and pipes like this so-called browser promotes or old-style command-line tools promote, but modern objects with clear object-oriented interfaces. However, even after unix gets that, it needs some easy way to link the things together. Where's the thing to link them together? The closest thing I've seen would be Automator, and that's for OS X, not standard unix.
I like unix as much as anyone, but really... Unix people really need to stop shouting about the unix philosophy until they start being the best at it again.
That's "downsizes"
This is all quite true. However, there was another big player that fucked SVG up for us all: Adobe. They made an SVG plugin, but promoted THEIR proprietary code for embedding it, so that even when sites did make SVG for IE with Adobe SVG, it wouldn't actually work in a browser that supported the standard methods.
There was some slight take-off of SVG back then. Might have gotten somewhere, if it wasn't for that bad implementation. It's still largely IE's fault, but I'm sure Adobe could have done better, had they tried.
Yes, but don't go putting anyone's eye out with it.
Hmm. Ice. Beowulf. I believe what you're referring to has been done, and given a name. Scandinavia.
I can fix this for them. With a blow-torch.
You seem awfully sure about that ;)
Indeed. Women put unreasonable demands on men. News at 11.
That's how he knows.
Uhh... having a head, and being able to shake it?
I have shocking news for you. You may want to have a seat. You've been lied to about this.
Don't mention Amigas, or you'll prove the article correct before the debate has begun ;) If you do, at least mention anomalies.
Seriously though... while all of these advances are useful, they're hardly revolutionary leaps -- just steady progress.
For me though, this seems pretty natural... we discovered the electromagnetism and the S/W nuclear forces; entirely new forces at the heart of the universe. Of COURSE we're going to make big leaps after that, just like we made big leaps when we discovered fire. But until we make another such discovery, things are going to SEEM to plateau a little. I say seem, because we know expect many things we can do with these new forces. Still, any of the small bits of progress in using these forces would be almost equally magical to people who knew nothing of them.
I expect we'll have plenty more huge leaps in future, when we finally figure out what's going on (and what's not) with string theory, dark energy, etc. Until then, we'll just have to be patient.
After all, we're only a little smarter than chimps. How quickly SHOULD a smart chimp progress? ;)
You're flying in the wrong mode. Switch to arcade.
If you throw in Meme Theory, humans would be more like two Amigas: one running a demo which makes it think its running the other demo by choice, when actually neither were a choice.
Yep, now that I think about it a bit, this is probably about the export potential of having a new green power technology tried and tested just when the world really starts looking for options.