It turns out this technique was not used with AutoDesk/AutoCAD. I've spent the last hour or so running through John Walkers book on the company and it looks like the AutoDesk was having quite a focus problem around the time( 1992 ) that the MS Windows version was announced.
I've not found where it's mentioned how the remaining versions were cancelled but I'm still looking. One thing is for sure though, that is AutoCAD was cross platform originally and built/developed on UNIX workstations. Also, John Walker saw how poorly Windows was done but also saw how the marketing of it created a huge install base which AutoDesk needed to sell into. He wanted AutoDesk to become THE graphics company for the new PC era.
LoB
Re:AutoCAD is too far up MSs back end...
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Autodesk Acquires Alias
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· Score: 2, Interesting
to get built for Linux.
That's a shame because IIRC it was orginally a unix application.
That's right, but MSFT pulled a nice trick to "fix" that problem. They licensed Win32 API's to a few who ported it to UNIX and then advertised these UNIX companies could support both Windows and UNIX with one codebase if they ported to Windows/Win32. The suckers did just that and shortly afterwards, MSFT increased the licensing fees for the Win32 APIs so much all but one of the porters closed shop. The one company which didn't close shop was also the only one which MSFT paid to port MS-IE to UNIX using Win32.... This worked out nicely for them in court because there was ONE company who did license MSFT's super expensive license.
So yes, AutoCAD was UNIX, got ported to Win32 and had both UNIX and Windows versions, and then only Windows versions when the UNIX port of Win32 couldn't be kept uptodate.
IMO, it's these "games" MSFT plays which foster harsh criticism of the company. I laugh every time a MSFT exec says they are doing X, Y, or Z because "customers" are asking or telling them they want it. History says it's the other way around.
How SoftImage was able to keep its UNIX port going while actually being owned by MSFT, IMO, would make a great book/story. And by OWNED, I mean purchased. Simply amazing.
All the scientists were banned from Earth on a space ship. They headed toward Alpha-Centari or something they thought had a chance of being inhabitable. This trip was to take a very very long time so the older generation was trying to teach the younger generation how to keep the ship going. They didn't do too well and by the time they got to the planet, the ship was falling apart and they didn't know how to stop it or get down to the planet.
IIRC, there was one old timer( 2nd or 3rd gen oldtimer ) still alive in the zero-G section of the ship. He told them what they needed to know.
Until Bush or his party declares all science inconclusive, the Church of Bush, the new science of the planet and sends anybody with an IQ in the triple digits out into space,,, I think we can count on the current education system to educate the youth.
Er. I sync my Axim with OS X every day. In fact, it syncs with OS X much better than my Treo ever did, since it supports 2-way syncing of categories for contacts and calendar/tasks, whereas with the Treo, any items created on the Treo were put into Unfiled on the desktop.
Wow, I didn't know that Dell supported Apples OS X, or is that Microsoft which provided the sync solution for OS X? Either way that's great, though somewhat surprising. Good luck with that, and also with the new update you seem to be so anxiously awaiting.
Problems with syncing with any Microsoft product does not surprise me. We all know that Microsoft competes with Palm not to make profits but to keep Palm from growing. So, it stands to reason that Palm would have difficulties getting consistancy in how their software works with Microsofts( Outlook in this case ). My guess at how RIM is doing it is that they're not doing much else. Also, t simplicity of their device allows them to concentrate on far fewer things though I hear they are growing out of being just an email device so I would expect them to start having problems with their connectivity soon.
As far as 3rd party apps goes, I guess I must have picked just the good ones. Really not that many problems over the years. But again, I stay away from anything which has to connect to anything on Windows. Unfortunately, the Mac marketshare is low enough to not get full support by many ISVs AND the opensource community. Where a desktop app was not available or working, I'd just use the PDA interface since input was typically very efficient. The Palm Desktop was plenty functional enough but then again, I wasn't fully "into" all the Franklin planner techniques/style of planning. I only used Franklin for 2 years before going to the Palm III.
Sounds like you did find something you're happy with though so that's good.
LoB
Re:And I just got a Pocket PC yesterday...
on
Palm's Mistakes
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· Score: 1
When you pay $300-$400, and have to choose between products that are nearly equal, you tend to go with the one that will at least be compatible with what else is on the market over the next year or so.
And the Treo and/or PalmOS is going away in the next year or so? What have you heard that nobody else has?
I consider Linux, for example, to be a superior product as far as servers go, but if I had serious concerns about a new workstation's platform being at least partially abandoned by it's own maker, I'd switch to a second-favorite product in a heartbeat. This actually works against MS much of the time, as their old products aren't very scalar. Would you be inclined to buy a new workstation that you knew wouldn't work with Longhorn (screw that new name, Longhorn was a better one)?
If you know you are going to upgrade, or NEED to upgrade to that new fangled thing it's one thing, but if you just THINK you are, you would be better off purchasing what works now and is the better deal. I purchase our computer systems with expandability in mind( how many PCI slots, what AGP rating, etc ) but we also upgrade our systems at the component level to keep them functionally performing well. A 700MH CPU with a fast video card and HD will do quite well for many/most uses. I see way too many just complain about the speed or capabilities of their systems but wait until they can't stand it anymore and purchase completely new systems. In other words, most don't upgrade so what works now is what's important.
When you're buying a product, the line behind it often defines it's future. For all the iPod owners out there... would you still buy an iPod today if Apple had lost most of it's market share, was abandoning it's old design in favor of what everyone else is using, had a bleak outlook for the near-and-long-term future, and if you were pretty sure your product would receive little more than "legacy" support at best within a year?
I see you been bitten by the MSFT bug. You'll base your purchases on something with no shipdate and no validation/proof of what fuctionality it'll have or require. It's all speculation right now and as you know, what you see now is NOT what you'll eventually get. So, you have to have what's new no matter what. For most people, that's not the case and if the iPod worked now and they'll be happy with about 3 years use out of it, who cares if someone THINKS Apple is going to drop the product. But if you relied on a vendor for your information/data, only then is it important enough to worry if you are not going to be able to get more information/data in the future. You know, my wifes Visor still works great and she even adds new software every now and then. But I woudn't go out an purchase a Frankly eBookMan if I wanted to use it for anything other than the currently available ebooks. So there is SOME aspects of future-proofing a purchase. Barring complete discontinuation of a product, most would do fine with most products purchased while the product was still in production.
Line following is what created this industry - otherwise that nice highly-compatible x86-based platform you're on today would still be one of many, and instead of the Mac/Microsoft/Unix debate, you'd have a plurality of mutually incompatible systems and a shambles market. Microsoft owns the line followers because their business model was built on that concept. It's not a flaw - people who don't at least watch the line, let alone not follow it, usually get left in the dust no matter how great their new toy.
No No No! Phoenix Software didn't follow the line and instead, made a cleanroom copy of IBMs BIOS. Others followed that lead because IBM gave out the hardware design for free so they knew how to make the hardware but not the software to run on it. IBM did this because they thought they could control the market with a proprietary BIOS. It wasn't "line following which created this market and we have a
The problem here is that you want WiFi and that is a power hog. It'll drain the battery at over 100mA and the battery isn't going to be THAT big in a device priced at around $100. IMO, if you swap out Wifi for Bluetooth, you'd have a better product. And like you say, the USB dongles are cheap( Bluetooth ones too ). So if you wanted connectivity, a Bluetooth WAP or desktop USB device would do the trick. Use a Bluetooth phone for a network connection on the road and build in software to sync the phones addressbook/calendar. Heck, even dial the phone. If someone REALLY wants and all-in-one, let someone else do that. Bluetooth also lets you send your contact info more easily than pointing the IR port at another device ~1m away.
you hit the nail on the head though. The 3Com Palm company spent too much time thinking the high end was more important. It was where more profits were but how do you compete with a company that's willing, and capable, of losing ~$8 billion on their handheld OS? Microsoft doesn't even make the handheld hardware! Yup, Palm should have stuck with enabling the lower end market and let other hardware vendors and software vendors extend their platform. Just like how the Palm "economy" was originally created.
The problem I have with this is that Microsoft lost ~$8 billion so far on that OS and it's taken over 8 years to get to this point. Atleast the Palm product generated profits and there were some nice hardware add-ons for awhile. You know, like a competitive market provides.
Personally, it's too bad Palm and the Treo didn't have to wait so long for the Palm APIs on Linux. I believe it would have made for a better pairing then throwing out the whole Palm application layer and dropping in another OS( WinCE ). An OS which only exists because its owner can afford to keep losing money so another OS( PalmOS ) doesn't eat into Windows desktop and server sales. Think about it. Had Microsoft not created Windows CE or killed it the first time, they'd have an extra ~$8 billion in profits. All the PDA OS's and devices which sprung up to beat Palm would probably work pretty darn well with Microsofts desktop and server OS software too. After all, Microsoft would be trying to actually MAKE MONEY by selling more software to work with them.... But that's not how it was or how it works.
Instead, we settle for something from Microsoft which is kinda better than an aging PalmOS and works with only Microsoft desktop and serve software. And soon, it'll probably only load file formats signed by Microsoft "partners". There's something to look forward too.:/
Yup, sad story indeed. Thank goodness the rest of the world is seeing how an open market is better. It's already been noted that Linux on smartphones is outperforming WindowsCE in Asia by something like 4:1. There are profits involved and innovation happening there, so a functional PDA/handheld/phone just might actually show up on the market.
LoB
Re:If they listened to customers...
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Palm's Mistakes
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· Score: 1
it's too bad they kept the name, Palm, through the whole string of purchases. Palm under US Robotics was pretty good. But when 3Com purchased them, it all started falling apart. Constant hardware sync changes killed off most of the innovative hardware addon developers and the stubborn OS developers just wouldn't let go of the old PalmOS design. Even after purchasing the BeOS, they stuck with the old stuff for one reason or another.
IMO, once 3Com took over, the Palm lost its identity as a cool device with a community building around it, to just a device owned and controlled by one company. Seldom is THAT going to work better than the community building mechanisms.
Sounds like you ran some bad applications and if so, I hope you emailed the developer(s) to complain. Sure, the OS shouldn't crash but there are ways to develop PalmOS apps without crashing it. If a app crashes more than once, I remove the app, tell the owner, and go find a replacement. Over the years, crashes are very few and far between on my Palm or the significant others Visor.
The battery/power can sometimes be an issue for people if can't get on a schedule of charging the batteries and the color screen units make that a much bigger issue. My brother is one who can't remember to charge the batteries on his Visor, so I found him a Springboard flahs memory backup module and he's not had to go through the steps you mention to get his data/apps working again. He just has to grab some AAA batteries and restore. I also have a Zaurus 5600 and though it's seldom used now, I do like that it's app/filesystem memory is flash based. When the battery runs down, the apps and data are all still there. I thought new Palm devices used this mechanism now also. I know Microsoft devices did this years ago but it was because the frequent OS crashes required way too much system rebuilding.
BTW, single function or simple function devices( iPod ) are quite different from a PDA/handheld. The added complexities of having the ability to run thousands of custom applications and the multifunctional aspects of the PDA devices are going to lead to some problems. That is why we should send the feedback to the developers when something doesn't work and find apps which work better. Even freeware/shareware developers want people to use their apps if they know there is a problem.
I guess the best you could have done was to backup to a flash memory( SD ) device often and keep a portable charger handy. That should have saved you tons of time right there.
LoB
Re:And I just got a Pocket PC yesterday...
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Palm's Mistakes
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· Score: 1
I wonder how many others don't purchase items for what they'll do for them but instead, purchase items based on their ability to predict the future?
Sounds more like someone getting in line because there is a line... Every established market has a line, but it sure seems that Microsoft has the line with the highest precentage of line-followers. IMO.
This is an excellent idea, if I don't say so myself. Especially since I told Sharp about this years ago when the SL5000 was out to developers. My idea was that they design the Zaurus so that it can slip into a sled on the back of a custom LCD( with keyboard/mouse ). There, it would get power, drive the LCD, have a fullsize keyboard/mouse, and networking. Hey, my mom still uses the IOpener for email, browsing and games, surely the power in a handheld or "smartphone" can provide these features... With a 3G phone, the network is already there.
It goes with the fact that it makes more sense for iPod users to have the ability to play their music, automatically, to audio devices( car, home stereo, etc ) when in proximity to those devices, instead of having totally different input sources everywhere you go. That's starting to happen in the auto industry with builtin iPod interfaces but a more generic interface is needed. A lowend capability is available with that FM addon and so playback happens in both locations( home and auto ) with just a tuning change. This concept of a handheld also being your computer follows in that concept. The concept of taking YOUR data/information and access personality( applications ) with you. I like it.
This seems to be is a step toward the STNG( Star Trek: Next Gen ) communicators, only instead of centralized computational capabilies, the computer comes with the wearer. Just a beefed up pendant. Actually, the STNG system could be somewhat emulated with a Bluetooth pendant, with the voice profile, combined with a central voice command system and an office full of SunRays. The SunRay system would have to be using Bluetooth instead of the physical ID system they deploy with now.
I like the idea and hope it gains backing, though I see the Microsoft / PC sector fighting this like they did the network computer concept. It means fewer Windows PCs being sold, the PC no longer is the holder of YOUR data/information. Also, the idea of SIMPLIFIED computer features instead of more more more is not the one Microsoft way. But, the phone companies are quite large and would love to be THE network, and this would provide another revenue stream in sales of more devices and add-ons for them. This will be fun to watch.
yes, the tin-foil hat has to be on to go down this road but MSFT really needs for the iPod to go away. I would bet that it is one of the things keeping Bill and Steve up at night.
Now, if the industry started a damaging trend for Apple and its iPod, they just might be a more willing "partner" for Microsoft than Apple. After all, Microsoft and the music industry really are of like minds as far as what "rights" their customers have or should have. IMO.
My bad, I should have realized this flaw. ICE engines are 35% efficient because of all the other losses like heat and friction. There is no way to get 97% efficiency without a new engine design...
There's another thread on the idea that this is just another version of a water injector system. It was pointed out that there's a significant electric load needed to split water. So this could be just a water vapor generator and a replay of an old idea.
This is atleast somewhat in the ballpark of reality. Compare this $7,500 device to the $1 million hydrogen vehicles which are still getting press and being called "the future" at the expense of existing tech, like hybrids.
This kind of public brainwashing is actually working too. I constantly get the hydrogen/fuelcell card pulled out when I discuss hybrids, global warming, and fuel costs. They think that because there are prototype vehicles being shown and they press says they are the future, that they are REAL, viable, and will soon be at dealer lots everywhere.
We'll see if the electrical load put on the vehicle THIS device is installed in, is worth the expense and improved efficiencies( MPG and emissions ).
The article said the typical engine is 35% efficient and with this device, they expect 97% efficiency. That would be a 200% increase over default. So, 25MPG becomes 75MPG. 4000/75=53, 53/15=3.5 or 3.5 tanks of fuel before refilling H2O tank.
If this thread was trying to make a point of how often the water tank needed refilling, the 80 hour number is more important than how many miles/tanks of gasoline.
I'm with you, for system tray applets, the detached GUI component should not have an X( exit ) button unless it's going to close the entire system tray applet. It's confusing as to what it's going to do since it's standard for the X to close the application. Some other indicator should be used or the button should be removed and a [Close] button used instead.
It still bugs me when kmixer's GUI requires the X button be pushed, yet the mixer applet stays resident. If anything, that button should have some kind of other indicator when it does NOT close the process associated with it. Maybe a different color or the use of dots to make up the X.
This is interesting since usually MSFT is holding back these kinds of things BEFORE big marketing pushes( read product releases ). They do this so that they can make the public think there's a reason to upgrade...
IMO, this can only mean that there are enough MSFT customers threatening to "move on" instead of waiting for the next great thing MSFT is betting the business on.
And here I thought a lot of the earnings I get were from the billions in cash Microsoft had...
What's your point?
As to your comments on Palm, they split into Palm and PalmSource quite a while ago - one provides the OS (which WinCE competes with), the other provides the actual devices which use the OS.
Again, what's your point? At the time Palm had 80% marketshare, they were one company. The market for handhelds wasn't hugh but it was large enough that the database vendors felt they needed to have versions of their databases on the Palm devices. That is all but Microsoft. Microsoft felt that it was more important to release THEIR handheld database product for THEIR operating system. Which, at THAT TIME, had a tiny part of the market.
I made that point to show that Microsoft is willing to loose money to promote its operating system(s) at the expense of possible profits from supporting other operating systems.
It's all about Windows and protecting/maintaining that monopoly. Wasn't it Bill Gates who said something like, "Does anybody remember Windows?". I believe it was at a meeting discussing JAVA and that meeting was getting out of hand as the discussion were moving toward working WITH JAVA. We all know how Microsoft ended up working WITH JAVA. It was about protecting Windows.... IMO. Heck, Microsoft purchased quite a number of JAVA based companies just to kill their products. DimensionX and Coopers-and-Peters were two that some to mind. Again, Microsoft will not put its software on a competing system unless something like hell freezing over happens to occur. IMO.
And that battle is mostly on cellphones and MP3 players nowadays, not the traditional PDA.
I agree but also think that the BIG boost in the numbers of GNU/Linux users will happen when the corporations desktops start converting. They won't have a problem installing proprietary software on their systems but IMO, it won't be any Microsoft software.
This is naive thinking IMO. Microsoft makes over 30% of it's profits from Windows and over 30% from MS-Office. They got that MS-Office monopoly by using the Windows monopoly. Why on earth would Bill and Steve allow a competitor to Windows gain any value by putting MS Office on Linux?
Any such move would mean that they have accepted Their their control of developers and the market would have to have deteriorated so so much for Bill and Steve to allow ANY MS software product to run on another operating system. MS Office for Mac only exists because they needed Apple in the DOJ vs MSFT case. It only exists now because it's a wash to keep it running and it helps them LOOK like they are good citizens. It also helps that they have a monopoly on Mac for office software too.
The day Microsoft releases a critical business software package for another operating system will the the day Bill Gates and Steve Balmer leave the building. They make billions in profits off Windows and Office. Heck, look at the Palm/handheld market for an example. Palm had over 80% marketshare when all the database companies were releasing Palm versions of db access clients. Microsoft, they announce a version for WindowsCE... Speaking of WindowsCE, they've lost money on THAT product every quarter of every year since they started that project. About $1 billion in losses per year for 8 years. Do you really think they'll bring MS Office to Linux?
Unfortunately, such a statement actually lowers my respect for the guy.
This is great news and one which I'll be sure to pass on to my local and state IT officials. After all, how many politicians like to be first at anything.
This might be the proverbial "barn door" opener we've been working towards.
Be sure of one thing though, Microsoft will not take this sitting down. No matter how long they've already been working on this.
It's good to see "Get the Facts" finally getting opposition from the commercial houses profitting from GNU/Linux. Since IBM won around 3/4 billion dollars from Microsoft, because of its efforts to kill OS/2 and Lotus, I was hoping that IBM would put that "extra" cash to good use.
Luckily, IBM won't have to go out and pay off any companies to by part of its pro-Linux marketing. And I surely hope that they make sure the research methods are solid enough to stand up to the GNU/Linux geeks AND Microsofts marketing army.
Slashdot Mirror
There IS a driver onboard, but the driver is in the glovebox and he's a cute little penguin.
3 .html
Actually, 7 penguins kept Stanley on course and pointed at the finish line -
Tom's Hardware: Driven By Linux: Laser Sensors, Stereo Camera And GPS Navigation
http://www.tomshardware.com/game/20050713/darpa-0
It turns out this technique was not used with AutoDesk/AutoCAD. I've spent the last hour or so running through John Walkers book on the company and it looks like the AutoDesk was having quite a focus problem around the time( 1992 ) that the MS Windows version was announced.
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http://www.fourmilab.ch/autofile/www/chapter2_100
I've not found where it's mentioned how the remaining versions were cancelled but I'm still looking. One thing is for sure though, that is AutoCAD was cross platform originally and built/developed on UNIX workstations. Also, John Walker saw how poorly Windows was done but also saw how the marketing of it created a huge install base which AutoDesk needed to sell into. He wanted AutoDesk to become THE graphics company for the new PC era.
LoB
That's a shame because IIRC it was orginally a unix application.
That's right, but MSFT pulled a nice trick to "fix" that problem. They licensed Win32 API's to a few who ported it to UNIX and then advertised these UNIX companies could support both Windows and UNIX with one codebase if they ported to Windows/Win32. The suckers did just that and shortly afterwards, MSFT increased the licensing fees for the Win32 APIs so much all but one of the porters closed shop. The one company which didn't close shop was also the only one which MSFT paid to port MS-IE to UNIX using Win32.... This worked out nicely for them in court because there was ONE company who did license MSFT's super expensive license.
So yes, AutoCAD was UNIX, got ported to Win32 and had both UNIX and Windows versions, and then only Windows versions when the UNIX port of Win32 couldn't be kept uptodate.
IMO, it's these "games" MSFT plays which foster harsh criticism of the company. I laugh every time a MSFT exec says they are doing X, Y, or Z because "customers" are asking or telling them they want it. History says it's the other way around.
How SoftImage was able to keep its UNIX port going while actually being owned by MSFT, IMO, would make a great book/story. And by OWNED, I mean purchased. Simply amazing.
LoB
All the scientists were banned from Earth on a space ship. They headed toward Alpha-Centari or something they thought had a chance of being inhabitable. This trip was to take a very very long time so the older generation was trying to teach the younger generation how to keep the ship going. They didn't do too well and by the time they got to the planet, the ship was falling apart and they didn't know how to stop it or get down to the planet.
IIRC, there was one old timer( 2nd or 3rd gen oldtimer ) still alive in the zero-G section of the ship. He told them what they needed to know.
Until Bush or his party declares all science inconclusive, the Church of Bush, the new science of the planet and sends anybody with an IQ in the triple digits out into space,,, I think we can count on the current education system to educate the youth.
LoB
Wow, I didn't know that Dell supported Apples OS X, or is that Microsoft which provided the sync solution for OS X? Either way that's great, though somewhat surprising. Good luck with that, and also with the new update you seem to be so anxiously awaiting.
LoB
Problems with syncing with any Microsoft product does not surprise me. We all know that Microsoft competes with Palm not to make profits but to keep Palm from growing. So, it stands to reason that Palm would have difficulties getting consistancy in how their software works with Microsofts( Outlook in this case ). My guess at how RIM is doing it is that they're not doing much else. Also, t simplicity of their device allows them to concentrate on far fewer things though I hear they are growing out of being just an email device so I would expect them to start having problems with their connectivity soon.
As far as 3rd party apps goes, I guess I must have picked just the good ones. Really not that many problems over the years. But again, I stay away from anything which has to connect to anything on Windows. Unfortunately, the Mac marketshare is low enough to not get full support by many ISVs AND the opensource community. Where a desktop app was not available or working, I'd just use the PDA interface since input was typically very efficient. The Palm Desktop was plenty functional enough but then again, I wasn't fully "into" all the Franklin planner techniques/style of planning. I only used Franklin for 2 years before going to the Palm III.
Sounds like you did find something you're happy with though so that's good.
LoB
And the Treo and/or PalmOS is going away in the next year or so? What have you heard that nobody else has?
I consider Linux, for example, to be a superior product as far as servers go, but if I had serious concerns about a new workstation's platform being at least partially abandoned by it's own maker, I'd switch to a second-favorite product in a heartbeat. This actually works against MS much of the time, as their old products aren't very scalar. Would you be inclined to buy a new workstation that you knew wouldn't work with Longhorn (screw that new name, Longhorn was a better one)?
If you know you are going to upgrade, or NEED to upgrade to that new fangled thing it's one thing, but if you just THINK you are, you would be better off purchasing what works now and is the better deal. I purchase our computer systems with expandability in mind( how many PCI slots, what AGP rating, etc ) but we also upgrade our systems at the component level to keep them functionally performing well. A 700MH CPU with a fast video card and HD will do quite well for many/most uses. I see way too many just complain about the speed or capabilities of their systems but wait until they can't stand it anymore and purchase completely new systems. In other words, most don't upgrade so what works now is what's important.
When you're buying a product, the line behind it often defines it's future. For all the iPod owners out there... would you still buy an iPod today if Apple had lost most of it's market share, was abandoning it's old design in favor of what everyone else is using, had a bleak outlook for the near-and-long-term future, and if you were pretty sure your product would receive little more than "legacy" support at best within a year?
I see you been bitten by the MSFT bug. You'll base your purchases on something with no shipdate and no validation/proof of what fuctionality it'll have or require. It's all speculation right now and as you know, what you see now is NOT what you'll eventually get. So, you have to have what's new no matter what. For most people, that's not the case and if the iPod worked now and they'll be happy with about 3 years use out of it, who cares if someone THINKS Apple is going to drop the product. But if you relied on a vendor for your information/data, only then is it important enough to worry if you are not going to be able to get more information/data in the future. You know, my wifes Visor still works great and she even adds new software every now and then. But I woudn't go out an purchase a Frankly eBookMan if I wanted to use it for anything other than the currently available ebooks. So there is SOME aspects of future-proofing a purchase. Barring complete discontinuation of a product, most would do fine with most products purchased while the product was still in production.
Line following is what created this industry - otherwise that nice highly-compatible x86-based platform you're on today would still be one of many, and instead of the Mac/Microsoft/Unix debate, you'd have a plurality of mutually incompatible systems and a shambles market. Microsoft owns the line followers because their business model was built on that concept. It's not a flaw - people who don't at least watch the line, let alone not follow it, usually get left in the dust no matter how great their new toy.
No No No! Phoenix Software didn't follow the line and instead, made a cleanroom copy of IBMs BIOS. Others followed that lead because IBM gave out the hardware design for free so they knew how to make the hardware but not the software to run on it. IBM did this because they thought they could control the market with a proprietary BIOS. It wasn't "line following which created this market and we have a
Good point, but:
The problem here is that you want WiFi and that is a power hog. It'll drain the battery at over 100mA and the battery isn't going to be THAT big in a device priced at around $100. IMO, if you swap out Wifi for Bluetooth, you'd have a better product. And like you say, the USB dongles are cheap( Bluetooth ones too ). So if you wanted connectivity, a Bluetooth WAP or desktop USB device would do the trick. Use a Bluetooth phone for a network connection on the road and build in software to sync the phones addressbook/calendar. Heck, even dial the phone. If someone REALLY wants and all-in-one, let someone else do that. Bluetooth also lets you send your contact info more easily than pointing the IR port at another device ~1m away.
you hit the nail on the head though. The 3Com Palm company spent too much time thinking the high end was more important. It was where more profits were but how do you compete with a company that's willing, and capable, of losing ~$8 billion on their handheld OS? Microsoft doesn't even make the handheld hardware! Yup, Palm should have stuck with enabling the lower end market and let other hardware vendors and software vendors extend their platform. Just like how the Palm "economy" was originally created.
LoB
The problem I have with this is that Microsoft lost ~$8 billion so far on that OS and it's taken over 8 years to get to this point. Atleast the Palm product generated profits and there were some nice hardware add-ons for awhile. You know, like a competitive market provides.
:/
Personally, it's too bad Palm and the Treo didn't have to wait so long for the Palm APIs on Linux. I believe it would have made for a better pairing then throwing out the whole Palm application layer and dropping in another OS( WinCE ). An OS which only exists because its owner can afford to keep losing money so another OS( PalmOS ) doesn't eat into Windows desktop and server sales. Think about it. Had Microsoft not created Windows CE or killed it the first time, they'd have an extra ~$8 billion in profits. All the PDA OS's and devices which sprung up to beat Palm would probably work pretty darn well with Microsofts desktop and server OS software too. After all, Microsoft would be trying to actually MAKE MONEY by selling more software to work with them.... But that's not how it was or how it works.
Instead, we settle for something from Microsoft which is kinda better than an aging PalmOS and works with only Microsoft desktop and serve software. And soon, it'll probably only load file formats signed by Microsoft "partners". There's something to look forward too.
Yup, sad story indeed. Thank goodness the rest of the world is seeing how an open market is better. It's already been noted that Linux on smartphones is outperforming WindowsCE in Asia by something like 4:1. There are profits involved and innovation happening there, so a functional PDA/handheld/phone just might actually show up on the market.
LoB
it's too bad they kept the name, Palm, through the whole string of purchases. Palm under US Robotics was pretty good. But when 3Com purchased them, it all started falling apart. Constant hardware sync changes killed off most of the innovative hardware addon developers and the stubborn OS developers just wouldn't let go of the old PalmOS design. Even after purchasing the BeOS, they stuck with the old stuff for one reason or another.
IMO, once 3Com took over, the Palm lost its identity as a cool device with a community building around it, to just a device owned and controlled by one company. Seldom is THAT going to work better than the community building mechanisms.
LoB
Sounds like you ran some bad applications and if so, I hope you emailed the developer(s) to complain. Sure, the OS shouldn't crash but there are ways to develop PalmOS apps without crashing it. If a app crashes more than once, I remove the app, tell the owner, and go find a replacement. Over the years, crashes are very few and far between on my Palm or the significant others Visor.
The battery/power can sometimes be an issue for people if can't get on a schedule of charging the batteries and the color screen units make that a much bigger issue. My brother is one who can't remember to charge the batteries on his Visor, so I found him a Springboard flahs memory backup module and he's not had to go through the steps you mention to get his data/apps working again. He just has to grab some AAA batteries and restore. I also have a Zaurus 5600 and though it's seldom used now, I do like that it's app/filesystem memory is flash based. When the battery runs down, the apps and data are all still there. I thought new Palm devices used this mechanism now also. I know Microsoft devices did this years ago but it was because the frequent OS crashes required way too much system rebuilding.
BTW, single function or simple function devices( iPod ) are quite different from a PDA/handheld. The added complexities of having the ability to run thousands of custom applications and the multifunctional aspects of the PDA devices are going to lead to some problems. That is why we should send the feedback to the developers when something doesn't work and find apps which work better. Even freeware/shareware developers want people to use their apps if they know there is a problem.
I guess the best you could have done was to backup to a flash memory( SD ) device often and keep a portable charger handy. That should have saved you tons of time right there.
LoB
I wonder how many others don't purchase items for what they'll do for them but instead, purchase items based on their ability to predict the future?
Sounds more like someone getting in line because there is a line... Every established market has a line, but it sure seems that Microsoft has the line with the highest precentage of line-followers. IMO.
LoB
This is an excellent idea, if I don't say so myself. Especially since I told Sharp about this years ago when the SL5000 was out to developers. My idea was that they design the Zaurus so that it can slip into a sled on the back of a custom LCD( with keyboard/mouse ). There, it would get power, drive the LCD, have a fullsize keyboard/mouse, and networking. Hey, my mom still uses the IOpener for email, browsing and games, surely the power in a handheld or "smartphone" can provide these features... With a 3G phone, the network is already there.
It goes with the fact that it makes more sense for iPod users to have the ability to play their music, automatically, to audio devices( car, home stereo, etc ) when in proximity to those devices, instead of having totally different input sources everywhere you go. That's starting to happen in the auto industry with builtin iPod interfaces but a more generic interface is needed. A lowend capability is available with that FM addon and so playback happens in both locations( home and auto ) with just a tuning change. This concept of a handheld also being your computer follows in that concept. The concept of taking YOUR data/information and access personality( applications ) with you. I like it.
This seems to be is a step toward the STNG( Star Trek: Next Gen ) communicators, only instead of centralized computational capabilies, the computer comes with the wearer. Just a beefed up pendant. Actually, the STNG system could be somewhat emulated with a Bluetooth pendant, with the voice profile, combined with a central voice command system and an office full of SunRays. The SunRay system would have to be using Bluetooth instead of the physical ID system they deploy with now.
I like the idea and hope it gains backing, though I see the Microsoft / PC sector fighting this like they did the network computer concept. It means fewer Windows PCs being sold, the PC no longer is the holder of YOUR data/information. Also, the idea of SIMPLIFIED computer features instead of more more more is not the one Microsoft way. But, the phone companies are quite large and would love to be THE network, and this would provide another revenue stream in sales of more devices and add-ons for them. This will be fun to watch.
LoB
yes, the tin-foil hat has to be on to go down this road but MSFT really needs for the iPod to go away. I would bet that it is one of the things keeping Bill and Steve up at night.
Now, if the industry started a damaging trend for Apple and its iPod, they just might be a more willing "partner" for Microsoft than Apple. After all, Microsoft and the music industry really are of like minds as far as what "rights" their customers have or should have. IMO.
Just a thought.
LoB
My bad, I should have realized this flaw. ICE engines are 35% efficient because of all the other losses like heat and friction. There is no way to get 97% efficiency without a new engine design...
There's another thread on the idea that this is just another version of a water injector system. It was pointed out that there's a significant electric load needed to split water. So this could be just a water vapor generator and a replay of an old idea.
Sorry about the oversight.
LoB
This is atleast somewhat in the ballpark of reality. Compare this $7,500 device to the $1 million hydrogen vehicles which are still getting press and being called "the future" at the expense of existing tech, like hybrids.
This kind of public brainwashing is actually working too. I constantly get the hydrogen/fuelcell card pulled out when I discuss hybrids, global warming, and fuel costs. They think that because there are prototype vehicles being shown and they press says they are the future, that they are REAL, viable, and will soon be at dealer lots everywhere.
We'll see if the electrical load put on the vehicle THIS device is installed in, is worth the expense and improved efficiencies( MPG and emissions ).
LoB
The article said the typical engine is 35% efficient and with this device, they expect 97% efficiency. That would be a 200% increase over default. So, 25MPG becomes 75MPG. 4000/75=53, 53/15=3.5 or 3.5 tanks of fuel before refilling H2O tank.
If this thread was trying to make a point of how often the water tank needed refilling, the 80 hour number is more important than how many miles/tanks of gasoline.
LoB
Great SIG. Good ole Douglas Adams... We'll miss him.
LoB
I'm with you, for system tray applets, the detached GUI component should not have an X( exit ) button unless it's going to close the entire system tray applet. It's confusing as to what it's going to do since it's standard for the X to close the application. Some other indicator should be used or the button should be removed and a [Close] button used instead.
It still bugs me when kmixer's GUI requires the X button be pushed, yet the mixer applet stays resident. If anything, that button should have some kind of other indicator when it does NOT close the process associated with it. Maybe a different color or the use of dots to make up the X.
Consistency is the root of ease-of-use IMO.
LoB
This is interesting since usually MSFT is holding back these kinds of things BEFORE big marketing pushes( read product releases ). They do this so that they can make the public think there's a reason to upgrade...
IMO, this can only mean that there are enough MSFT customers threatening to "move on" instead of waiting for the next great thing MSFT is betting the business on.
Good luck with THAT Steve. You're gonna need it.
LoB
And here I thought a lot of the earnings I get were from the billions in cash Microsoft had ...
What's your point?
As to your comments on Palm, they split into Palm and PalmSource quite a while ago - one provides the OS (which WinCE competes with), the other provides the actual devices which use the OS.
Again, what's your point? At the time Palm had 80% marketshare, they were one company. The market for handhelds wasn't hugh but it was large enough that the database vendors felt they needed to have versions of their databases on the Palm devices. That is all but Microsoft. Microsoft felt that it was more important to release THEIR handheld database product for THEIR operating system. Which, at THAT TIME, had a tiny part of the market.
I made that point to show that Microsoft is willing to loose money to promote its operating system(s) at the expense of possible profits from supporting other operating systems.
It's all about Windows and protecting/maintaining that monopoly. Wasn't it Bill Gates who said something like, "Does anybody remember Windows?". I believe it was at a meeting discussing JAVA and that meeting was getting out of hand as the discussion were moving toward working WITH JAVA. We all know how Microsoft ended up working WITH JAVA. It was about protecting Windows.... IMO. Heck, Microsoft purchased quite a number of JAVA based companies just to kill their products. DimensionX and Coopers-and-Peters were two that some to mind. Again, Microsoft will not put its software on a competing system unless something like hell freezing over happens to occur. IMO.
And that battle is mostly on cellphones and MP3 players nowadays, not the traditional PDA.
Ok, your point being?
LoB
I agree but also think that the BIG boost in the numbers of GNU/Linux users will happen when the corporations desktops start converting. They won't have a problem installing proprietary software on their systems but IMO, it won't be any Microsoft software.
LoB
This is naive thinking IMO. Microsoft makes over 30% of it's profits from Windows and over 30% from MS-Office. They got that MS-Office monopoly by using the Windows monopoly. Why on earth would Bill and Steve allow a competitor to Windows gain any value by putting MS Office on Linux?
Any such move would mean that they have accepted
Their their control of developers and the market would have to have deteriorated so so much for Bill and Steve to allow ANY MS software product to run on another operating system. MS Office for Mac only exists because they needed Apple in the DOJ vs MSFT case. It only exists now because it's a wash to keep it running and it helps them LOOK like they are good citizens. It also helps that they have a monopoly on Mac for office software too.
The day Microsoft releases a critical business software package for another operating system will the the day Bill Gates and Steve Balmer leave the building. They make billions in profits off Windows and Office. Heck, look at the Palm/handheld market for an example. Palm had over 80% marketshare when all the database companies were releasing Palm versions of db access clients. Microsoft, they announce a version for WindowsCE... Speaking of WindowsCE, they've lost money on THAT product every quarter of every year since they started that project. About $1 billion in losses per year for 8 years. Do you really think they'll bring MS Office to Linux?
Unfortunately, such a statement actually lowers my respect for the guy.
LoB
This is great news and one which I'll be sure to pass on to my local and state IT officials. After all, how many politicians like to be first at anything.
This might be the proverbial "barn door" opener we've been working towards.
Be sure of one thing though, Microsoft will not take this sitting down. No matter how long they've already been working on this.
LoB
It's good to see "Get the Facts" finally getting opposition from the commercial houses profitting from GNU/Linux. Since IBM won around 3/4 billion dollars from Microsoft, because of its efforts to kill OS/2 and Lotus, I was hoping that IBM would put that "extra" cash to good use.
Luckily, IBM won't have to go out and pay off any companies to by part of its pro-Linux marketing. And I surely hope that they make sure the research methods are solid enough to stand up to the GNU/Linux geeks AND Microsofts marketing army.
LoB