I don't get the feeling this is really THAT far away from applications which used color or numbers to display status of a particular event. Kinda like the old SmartMoney MarketMap applet(defunct:http://www.smartmoney.com/marketmap/marketmap.html).There, the stock market data/status was displayed as colored and sized boxes where the color would change based on the sectors changing value and the size of the box represented the changing market cap of the sector. Apple is just changing the visual representation from color/size to window transparency. Interesting but not new.
IMO, this isn't something really new since many many applications displayed changing data and it's properties visually years and years ago. Using fading windows is interesting but should not be patentable IMO.
Ask the CSX Railroad company how smart they think they are for using Windows for their signal system? Yes, the same signal system that was off-line for 1/2 a day because a MS virus/worm took the MS Windows-based system down.
I've not read the full details of the big blackout in the NE a year or two ago but so far, I've not seen anything that says that the MSBlast worm did not bring it's LAN to it's knees and cause this. They do say that the monitoring systems message queues were backing up and caused that software to crash. That looks secondary to me since they've not said why it's messaging queues were backing up...
Microsoft is a marketing company first and foremost and so their OS design is forced to follow that line of thinking. Use of their OS's in mission critical situations is the dumbest thing anybody can do IMHO.
Look at the authors previous articles and you'll see he just wrote an article promoting fuel cells and hydrogen powered vehicles....
He looks/sounds more like a shock-jock than anything else. We're averaging about measured 45 MPG over 40,000 miles with a 2001 Toyota Prius(purchased in 2000).
IMO, the story headline should be more like this: "Car owners with poor driving habits get upset when shown actual MPG", or even "EPA rating is NOT REAL, it's a baseline for comparison dummy".
I too am a Toyota Prius/Hybrid owner/driver and you make some valid points. One thing you left out was to try to combine short trips/errands or make them after a longer trip like returning from work. Those short trips will kill your average MPG.
Regarding drive habits, it just amazes my how many people will speed up to stop at a light or stop sign. It just plain stupid and wasteful.
Then again, it's also pretty obvious that many drivers do not drive/look beyond the hood of their car and probably don't even know they will be stopping at a red light in 20 yards. After all, how many times have you seen people all lined up behind a car making a left turn when there is plenty of room on the right side of the car to go around????
The MPG feedback of the Toyota and Honda hybrids are great. It'll show you how wasteful your driving habits are in a very short time.
the fact that the originater of this thread seems to think that todays hybrid cars use Lead acid batteries should show you that he/she is clueless and too lazy to even attempt to understand what he/she is talking about.
They use NiMH batteries and the weight of the entire system is comparable.
come on now, didn't you do any research into todays hybrid vehicles?
1) They use NiMH batteries and not lead-acid. If NiMH electrolytes are getting smeared all over the passengers, they probably didn't survive the crash anyways.
2) Again, NiMH and not lead acid or NiCAD so there isn't that massive environmental impact of the previous battery technologies. But I do agree we still need mandated recycling of some of these materials so they don't end up in lakes/etc.
3) The Toyota battery does not have to be completely replaced if a battery cell fails. Just the bad cell so there should be no large expense to replace the whole battery. Except maybe in a collision and again, that's going to likely be a total anyways....
4) our Dodge Dart is not getting very environmentally efficient milage( ie green house gases/etc ). There's more to good MPG with hybrid systems.
This is old news in the Yahoo-ToyotaPrius group. What people need to realize is that if the Toyota Hybrid/Prius is driven for only 5-10 minutes then gas milage will not be optimal. Short trips are not going to be fuel efficient for either hybrid or conventional vehicles. Emisions will most likely still be far better than conventional systems for the short trip though.
BTW, we've owned our Prius since 2000 and have an estimated 45MPG over the entire ~40,000 miles we have on it. But, we also try not to take short trips to the store. We minimize single short trips by combining errands or taking care of things after or before a longer trip. ie, pick up the bread and butter on the way home after the work.
I hardly believe the Toyota hybrid system is hype and do believe the hydrogen backers are they hype-sters and are trying to stall the adoption of fuel conservation systems already available. IMHO.
but a building that looks like it's falling down???? None of the other buildings you mentioned have a ghetto look to them. They are unique but do not resemble unnatural sturctures.
Like I said earlier, it looks like some Microsoft developers helped in the design. It's a mess IMO and that's all it is, an opinion....:-)
looks to me like some Microsoft software engineers had a hand in the design....;-)
It looks like a pile of junk to me. More like a theater set than something one would actually try to use. It's fitting that Bill G.'s name is on it IMO.
From what I've heard, in California, the state will pay for close to 50% of the total cost of the system . And, your electric company doesn't pay you for your daytime electricity, your meter runs backwards when you generate more than you use. This is called Net Metering and is the simpiliest way to do it as long as you just want to take care of your own energy needs.
The part you mentioned about them paying you for your excess is probably related to what's called Time Of Use ( TOU ) metering. With TOU metering, you pay(per month) for an extra phoneline hookup so the power company can read your meter every 15 minutes. Then they'll read you meter and determine how much the power costs at that time and how much you generated and then pay you accordingly. Net Metering is the easiest and there's only a yearly bill with monthly statements. If you size your system correctly, you'll only pay about $100/yr for all the federal and state taxes that are tacked on to everyones monthly bill.
Like many other states, California is promoting alternate energy systems and helps pay for some of the system costs. Search the web and I'm sure you'll find out what's available in your area.
I've been emailing these bloaks for the last 3+ years telling them that the TCO for Windows has got to be more because of the published costs of the various virus's and worms. Why it is just now showing up tells you how "expert" these people are. Kinda reminds me of the "security experts" who thought it made sense to remove fingernail clippers and pocket knives from visitors to the Statue of Liberty....
It is good to see this published even if it is over three years late. Looks like people really are finally getting sick of "Bill and Steves Wild Ride" called MS Windows.
I saw this too but I also saw a post about how the tracker-server needs to have ports 6881-6889 opened. If you are also using a firewall/router/NAT/etc between your PC and the internet, you'll get far better results by even opening one or two ports( 6881, 6882 ).
I started at 25K DOWN / 40K UP until I opened 2 ports and now its at 75K DOWN / 40K UP. YMMV but I think this'll help you out.
It would be nice if there was an "exit on completion" setting which took a delay value( in minutes ). That way, we can tell it to close on completion and it'll close 5,10,15 minutes AFTER download completion.
It would make it easier to be nicer. Then again, leaving it open until you notice it is likely to leave it open longer already....
One of these days I'll grab the source and add this.
But who are they going to attack? It's not like they could attack IBM for OS/2 or Apple for the Mac. And even if they spend $40 billion to keep companies from switching, Linux and the GNU tools/apps/etc will not go away. Microsoft might be able to keep down the growth but they can't stop it. GNU/Linux is like running Bamboo, you have to remove all traces of it to stop it from spreading. They can't do this with the Linux and the GPL.
I must admit, I just loved this quote: "There is always enthusiasm in our business for new concepts. So-called 'free software' is the latest new thing. We will rise to this challenge, and we will compete in a fair and responsible manner that puts our customers first. We will show that our approach offers better value, better security and better opportunity."
As if Microsoft knows how to compete in a fair and responsiable manner. There's no proof of that in the history of the company. And they will NEVER put their customers first because to them, protecting the Windows monopoly is FIRST. I also like how they will compete by 'showing' that their approach is better. Not making it better, but SHOWING it's better. If he said they were going to make sure their approach was better then I might believe they were ready to actually compete. But then again, Microsoft is a marketing company before it is a technology/solutions company. The retoric in this memo shows this. IMHO.
Not much new here really. Microsoft has already validated GNU/Linux as a threat over 2 years ago when they publicly stated it's existence.:-)
This is only about 20 million and SCOG is most likely not going to be paying this back to BayStar( others have said ). So, the summary judgment could still occur before SCOG goes under. Unless the execs pilfer the coffers and hit the road but then they are far more likely to have the SEC and Johny Law after them.
My guess is that it'll go to court and they'll ride SCOG out of business or until Microsoft buys them.
Sure enough, it looks like the sell off started yesterday. Maybe the SEC will start looking at this. After all, they went after Martha for a $40K profit....
Wasn't publicly determined that Microsoft was the one who put BayStar and SCOG together? Well, another company loses millions by listening to Microsoft. Serves em right for not knowing what kind of deal they were going to get when a Microsoft exec opens his/her mouth.
Maybe two birds get hit with this "stone". One, SCO gets no 2nd chance of added financing and two, businesses see who bad ANYTHING tied to Microsoft can be.
Also, BayStar is probably getting wacked by it's investers no doubt. But since SCOG lied again and BayStar bought it is reason to blame BayStar for this. After all, it's been in the press about who owns the right to the UNIX name and that it was not SCOG.
Yes, it was more of a joke than anything but the 'just' of it is to start holding Linux or OSS events that'll get the press to look. The more press it gets the more people realize there is something else. That's why I was shocked the first time I heard a Microsoft exec mention the word Linux to the press/public. Powered by Linux needs to be plastered on every device running it. IMO.
Pulling "stupid pet tricks" with Linux to get attention probably isn't the best way to do this. I agree.
BTW, are we supposed to be serious here? My apologies.;-)
When Bill Gates goes and gets a law passed just so he can import a special car for himself, you know there's no hope that laws are there "to protect those that could not easily protect themselves"
I don't have the URL but it was over a year ago that I read how Bill wanted a car imported and that it was sitting at the dock for months and months because he was not supposed to import the car. He hired a bunch of lawyers and they worked with their representative to have a law written up so Bill could get his car. The law was then tied in with some others that were sure to get passed and the whole bunch ended up going through.
Do you really think Bill and Steve care about the law? With Windows and Office, it's all about protecting the monopoly. The Bush administration pulled the rug out from under the last/best effort to even the field. As stated elsewhere, a breakup of Microsoft was the best answer. It'll probably take up to 10 years for Linux and OSS to bash them down to size. Even then, they'll surely start using their billions like the RIAA and start taking any and all OSS projects to court on IP issues.
Maybe it's time the OSS community started holding quartly Pro-Linux events. Ones where we run over boxes of Microsoft software with a steamroller driven by a penguin who's handing out free Linux/OSS CDs. Or maybe David Letterman will drop blocks of cement from a building on Microsoft CDs below...
Then again, offering to schools, free labor and support for switching from Windows to Linux might get better press. But it's not as fun.;-)
This is just more evidence( as if 20 years of history isn't enough ) that the safest and best way to do business with Microsoft is not to do business with Microsoft. IMO.
pretty much what I proposed to my favorite email client developers some time ago. They said they wanted to keep the email client as an email client. What I like about this method is that not only does it find the user-preferred delivery mechanism for a particular message, but it could also deliver large files too more efficiently.
In the days of Windows 3.x, it was the OEM that innovated how the OS was configured and what tools they supplied to make it easy to use on THEIR hardware. What you compared were two OS's that are always pre-installed, by the OEM, to a Linux distribution you are installing.
If the OEM pre-installed Linux there would be a very large boost in the general UI usability area. Corel had a VERY good start at a Windows-friendly distro but MS bought them out. From what I heard, Sun had a pretty good distro with JavaDesktop but then Microsoft bought them out. Lindows is another that's getting beat up by Microsoft and I'd love to be a fly-on-the-wall at Wal-Mart. I'll bet they are getting enticed to stop selling LinuxPC's.
If users are going to have to install Linux themselves, it just isn't going to get mainstream very quickly, if at all. But as business's hire Dell, HP, IBM, etc to do the pre-installations, then the ease of use you mentioned will follow. IMO.
Yes they can but what happens after 5 years? Linux won't have gone away, like OS/2 had to, because there will still be techies making it useful for them. I'm sure Microsoft knows this and is probably why they are attempting to patent everything and anything they can. By doing this, they will be able to block the "business" of Linux and after all, it's the "business" of Linux that'll end up putting a LinuxPC on every desk and not Windows.
Fortunately, there is a very large push to bring about the understanding of the benefits of developing software which supports Open Standards. Microsoft will only be able to do thinly vailed PR stunts like their support of XML before pulling the rug out from under it as they Windows-ize the protocols to protect it's monopoly.
Only if Microsoft can get everyone to believe that proprietary standards are better for them than open standards will they exist as a powerhouse in 10 years. I don't think 2010 and later will be good years for Microsoft. IMHO.
Slashdot Mirror
SmartMoney MarketMap
LoB
I don't get the feeling this is really THAT far away from applications which used color or numbers to display status of a particular event. Kinda like the old SmartMoney MarketMap applet(defunct:http://www.smartmoney.com/marketmap /marketmap.html).There, the stock market data/status was displayed as colored and sized boxes where the color would change based on the sectors changing value and the size of the box represented the changing market cap of the sector. Apple is just changing the visual representation from color/size to window transparency. Interesting but not new.
IMO, this isn't something really new since many many applications displayed changing data and it's properties visually years and years ago. Using fading windows is interesting but should not be patentable IMO.
LoB
Ask the CSX Railroad company how smart they think they are for using Windows for their signal system? Yes, the same signal system that was off-line for 1/2 a day because a MS virus/worm took the MS Windows-based system down.
I've not read the full details of the big blackout in the NE a year or two ago but so far, I've not seen anything that says that the MSBlast worm did not bring it's LAN to it's knees and cause this. They do say that the monitoring systems message queues were backing up and caused that software to crash. That looks secondary to me since they've not said why it's messaging queues were backing up...
Microsoft is a marketing company first and foremost and so their OS design is forced to follow that line of thinking. Use of their OS's in mission critical situations is the dumbest thing anybody can do IMHO.
LoB
which brings up the question of what good is a wooden wheel( steerable ship ) if the propulsion system doesn't work?
;-)
Maybe they want to look good at the wheel as they go down with the ship.
LoB
Look at the authors previous articles and you'll see he just wrote an article promoting fuel cells and hydrogen powered vehicles....
He looks/sounds more like a shock-jock than anything else. We're averaging about measured 45 MPG over 40,000 miles with a 2001 Toyota Prius(purchased in 2000).
IMO, the story headline should be more like this: "Car owners with poor driving habits get upset when shown actual MPG", or even "EPA rating is NOT REAL, it's a baseline for comparison dummy".
LoB
I too am a Toyota Prius/Hybrid owner/driver and you make some valid points. One thing you left out was to try to combine short trips/errands or make them after a longer trip like returning from work. Those short trips will kill your average MPG.
Regarding drive habits, it just amazes my how many people will speed up to stop at a light or stop sign. It just plain stupid and wasteful.
Then again, it's also pretty obvious that many drivers do not drive/look beyond the hood of their car and probably don't even know they will be stopping at a red light in 20 yards. After all, how many times have you seen people all lined up behind a car making a left turn when there is plenty of room on the right side of the car to go around????
The MPG feedback of the Toyota and Honda hybrids are great. It'll show you how wasteful your driving habits are in a very short time.
LoB
the fact that the originater of this thread seems to think that todays hybrid cars use Lead acid batteries should show you that he/she is clueless and too lazy to even attempt to understand what he/she is talking about.
They use NiMH batteries and the weight of the entire system is comparable.
MOD the parent down...
LoB
come on now, didn't you do any research into todays hybrid vehicles?
1) They use NiMH batteries and not lead-acid. If NiMH electrolytes are getting smeared all over the passengers, they probably didn't survive the crash anyways.
2) Again, NiMH and not lead acid or NiCAD so there isn't that massive environmental impact of the previous battery technologies. But I do agree we still need mandated recycling of some of these materials so they don't end up in lakes/etc.
3) The Toyota battery does not have to be completely replaced if a battery cell fails. Just the bad cell so there should be no large expense to replace the whole battery. Except maybe in a collision and again, that's going to likely be a total anyways....
4) our Dodge Dart is not getting very environmentally efficient milage( ie green house gases/etc ). There's more to good MPG with hybrid systems.
LoB
This is old news in the Yahoo-ToyotaPrius group. What people need to realize is that if the Toyota Hybrid/Prius is driven for only 5-10 minutes then gas milage will not be optimal. Short trips are not going to be fuel efficient for either hybrid or conventional vehicles. Emisions will most likely still be far better than conventional systems for the short trip though.
BTW, we've owned our Prius since 2000 and have an estimated 45MPG over the entire ~40,000 miles we have on it. But, we also try not to take short trips to the store. We minimize single short trips by combining errands or taking care of things after or before a longer trip. ie, pick up the bread and butter on the way home after the work.
I hardly believe the Toyota hybrid system is hype and do believe the hydrogen backers are they hype-sters and are trying to stall the adoption of fuel conservation systems already available. IMHO.
LoB
but a building that looks like it's falling down????
:-)
None of the other buildings you mentioned have a ghetto look to them. They are unique but do not resemble unnatural sturctures.
Like I said earlier, it looks like some Microsoft developers helped in the design. It's a mess IMO and that's all it is, an opinion....
LoB
looks to me like some Microsoft software engineers had a hand in the design.... ;-)
It looks like a pile of junk to me. More like a theater set than something one would actually try to use. It's fitting that Bill G.'s name is on it IMO.
LoB
From what I've heard, in California, the state will pay for close to 50% of the total cost of the system . And, your electric company doesn't pay you for your daytime electricity, your meter runs backwards when you generate more than you use. This is called Net Metering and is the simpiliest way to do it as long as you just want to take care of your own energy needs.
The part you mentioned about them paying you for your excess is probably related to what's called Time Of Use ( TOU ) metering. With TOU metering, you pay(per month) for an extra phoneline hookup so the power company can read your meter every 15 minutes. Then they'll read you meter and determine how much the power costs at that time and how much you generated and then pay you accordingly. Net Metering is the easiest and there's only a yearly bill with monthly statements. If you size your system correctly, you'll only pay about $100/yr for all the federal and state taxes that are tacked on to everyones monthly bill.
Like many other states, California is promoting alternate energy systems and helps pay for some of the system costs. Search the web and I'm sure you'll find out what's available in your area.
BTW, we are 100% solar powered.
LoB
I've been emailing these bloaks for the last 3+ years telling them that the TCO for Windows has got to be more because of the published costs of the various virus's and worms. Why it is just now showing up tells you how "expert" these people are. Kinda reminds me of the "security experts" who thought it made sense to remove fingernail clippers and pocket knives from visitors to the Statue of Liberty....
It is good to see this published even if it is over three years late. Looks like people really are finally getting sick of "Bill and Steves Wild Ride" called MS Windows.
LoB
I saw this too but I also saw a post about how the tracker-server needs to have ports 6881-6889 opened. If you are also using a firewall/router/NAT/etc between your PC and the internet, you'll get far better results by even opening one or two ports( 6881, 6882 ).
I started at 25K DOWN / 40K UP until I opened 2 ports and now its at 75K DOWN / 40K UP. YMMV but I think this'll help you out.
LoB
It would be nice if there was an "exit on completion" setting which took a delay value( in minutes ). That way, we can tell it to close on completion and it'll close 5,10,15 minutes AFTER download completion.
It would make it easier to be nicer. Then again, leaving it open until you notice it is likely to leave it open longer already....
One of these days I'll grab the source and add this.
LoB
But who are they going to attack? It's not like they could attack IBM for OS/2 or Apple for the Mac. And even if they spend $40 billion to keep companies from switching, Linux and the GNU tools/apps/etc will not go away. Microsoft might be able to keep down the growth but they can't stop it. GNU/Linux is like running Bamboo, you have to remove all traces of it to stop it from spreading. They can't do this with the Linux and the GPL.
:-)
I must admit, I just loved this quote:
"There is always enthusiasm in our business for new concepts. So-called 'free software' is the latest new thing. We will rise to this challenge, and we will compete in a fair and responsible manner that puts our customers first. We will show that our approach offers better value, better security and better opportunity."
As if Microsoft knows how to compete in a fair and responsiable manner. There's no proof of that in the history of the company. And they will NEVER put their customers first because to them, protecting the Windows monopoly is FIRST. I also like how they will compete by 'showing' that their approach is better. Not making it better, but SHOWING it's better. If he said they were going to make sure their approach was better then I might believe they were ready to actually compete. But then again, Microsoft is a marketing company before it is a technology/solutions company. The retoric in this memo shows this.
IMHO.
Not much new here really. Microsoft has already validated GNU/Linux as a threat over 2 years ago when they publicly stated it's existence.
LoB
This is only about 20 million and SCOG is most likely not going to be paying this back to BayStar( others have said ). So, the summary judgment could still occur before SCOG goes under. Unless the execs pilfer the coffers and hit the road but then they are far more likely to have the SEC and Johny Law after them.
My guess is that it'll go to court and they'll ride SCOG out of business or until Microsoft buys them.
LoB
Sure enough, it looks like the sell off started yesterday. Maybe the SEC will start looking at this. After all, they went after Martha for a $40K profit....
Good eye.
LoB
Wasn't publicly determined that Microsoft was the one who put BayStar and SCOG together? Well, another company loses millions by listening to Microsoft. Serves em right for not knowing what kind of deal they were going to get when a Microsoft exec opens his/her mouth.
Maybe two birds get hit with this "stone". One, SCO gets no 2nd chance of added financing and two, businesses see who bad ANYTHING tied to Microsoft can be.
Also, BayStar is probably getting wacked by it's investers no doubt. But since SCOG lied again and BayStar bought it is reason to blame BayStar for this. After all, it's been in the press about who owns the right to the UNIX name and that it was not SCOG.
LoB
Yes, it was more of a joke than anything but the 'just' of it is to start holding Linux or OSS events that'll get the press to look. The more press it gets the more people realize there is something else. That's why I was shocked the first time I heard a Microsoft exec mention the word Linux to the press/public. Powered by Linux needs to be plastered on every device running it. IMO.
;-)
Pulling "stupid pet tricks" with Linux to get attention probably isn't the best way to do this. I agree.
BTW, are we supposed to be serious here? My apologies.
LoB
When Bill Gates goes and gets a law passed just so he can import a special car for himself, you know there's no hope that laws are there "to protect those that could not easily protect themselves"
;-)
I don't have the URL but it was over a year ago that I read how Bill wanted a car imported and that it was sitting at the dock for months and months because he was not supposed to import the car. He hired a bunch of lawyers and they worked with their representative to have a law written up so Bill could get his car. The law was then tied in with some others that were sure to get passed and the whole bunch ended up going through.
Do you really think Bill and Steve care about the law? With Windows and Office, it's all about protecting the monopoly. The Bush administration pulled the rug out from under the last/best effort to even the field. As stated elsewhere, a breakup of Microsoft was the best answer. It'll probably take up to 10 years for Linux and OSS to bash them down to size. Even then, they'll surely start using their billions like the RIAA and start taking any and all OSS projects to court on IP issues.
Maybe it's time the OSS community started holding quartly Pro-Linux events. Ones where we run over boxes of Microsoft software with a steamroller driven by a penguin who's handing out free Linux/OSS CDs. Or maybe David Letterman will drop blocks of cement from a building on Microsoft CDs below...
Then again, offering to schools, free labor and support for switching from Windows to Linux might get better press. But it's not as fun.
LoB
This is just more evidence( as if 20 years of history isn't enough ) that the safest and best way to do business with Microsoft is not to do business with Microsoft. IMO.
LoB
pretty much what I proposed to my favorite email client developers some time ago. They said they wanted to keep the email client as an email client. What I like about this method is that not only does it find the user-preferred delivery mechanism for a particular message, but it could also deliver large files too more efficiently.
LoB
In the days of Windows 3.x, it was the OEM that innovated how the OS was configured and what tools they supplied to make it easy to use on THEIR hardware. What you compared were two OS's that are always pre-installed, by the OEM, to a Linux distribution you are installing.
If the OEM pre-installed Linux there would be a very large boost in the general UI usability area. Corel had a VERY good start at a Windows-friendly distro but MS bought them out. From what I heard, Sun had a pretty good distro with JavaDesktop but then Microsoft bought them out. Lindows is another that's getting beat up by Microsoft and I'd love to be a fly-on-the-wall at Wal-Mart. I'll bet they are getting enticed to stop selling LinuxPC's.
If users are going to have to install Linux themselves, it just isn't going to get mainstream very quickly, if at all. But as business's hire Dell, HP, IBM, etc to do the pre-installations, then the ease of use you mentioned will follow. IMO.
LoB
Yes they can but what happens after 5 years? Linux won't have gone away, like OS/2 had to, because there will still be techies making it useful for them. I'm sure Microsoft knows this and is probably why they are attempting to patent everything and anything they can. By doing this, they will be able to block the "business" of Linux and after all, it's the "business" of Linux that'll end up putting a LinuxPC on every desk and not Windows.
Fortunately, there is a very large push to bring about the understanding of the benefits of developing software which supports Open Standards. Microsoft will only be able to do thinly vailed PR stunts like their support of XML before pulling the rug out from under it as they Windows-ize the protocols to protect it's monopoly.
Only if Microsoft can get everyone to believe that proprietary standards are better for them than open standards will they exist as a powerhouse in 10 years. I don't think 2010 and later will be good years for Microsoft. IMHO.
LoB