The Madonna link refers several times to Madonna as if she is a bigger act than Metallica.... Is this true? Have I really become THAT disconnected from pop music?
You keep saying that a "free" price is "artificial"
The way I read it, he was saying that IMPOSING a free price is artificial. I really don't understand why the two of you are bickering. You both seem to agree on most of the main points, but disagree on how the other says it.
In my opinion, it's nowhere near as import what the price of software, bibles, or food is - so long as the MARKET is free.
They could release everything, but next year's version will have changes to the API, and next year's version of Office will use the new API, so everyone will "have to" upgrade.
True... but how many developers are going to make "Microsoft Compatible" software when they can instead make "Windows Compatible" software that will run on operating systems maintained by other companies as well? Developers will stick to the larger user base.
their estimate at current wholesale costs was about US$300, and I don't think that included the flatpanel.
I suspect the flat panel display is worth about as much as the rest of the machine put together (Does anyone out there know what a comparable flat panel display goes for?). However, the rest of the coponents are dirt cheap.
Here's a price list for the oldest/slowest coponents I can find in a TigerDirect catalog I recently got in the mail:
Motherboard: With 4 Meg AGP video and on board audio - $64.99 Modem Addon for motherboard: - $12.99 AMD k6-2/300: $26.99 Compact Tower case: $37.99 15" Monitor: $74.99 32 Meg RAM: $19.99
That's $237.94 for a 300 MHz system which in all respects is a better system than the I-Opener.
Obviously, it won't cost them that much for older, slower coponents.
I've seen some people write they would spend $400 on an I-Opener... Would any of you care to give me $400 for the system above? If so, E-Mail me.
Throw in the NIC add-on for and extra $5.99 and a 10.2GB hard drive for $109.99 and it's everything and more that most people have been saying they want the I-Opener for.
I am getting mine from Circuit City in New Castle, DE in a week or two (hopefully) and if they ask me to sign a contract, to hell with it. Even if the machine is modified by the time I get it, at least it'll have only been a $100 f* up!
I ordered on from CC on the 12th. There was no mention of a contract at the time and I was required to make a downpayment. I would say that locks CC into an agreement to sell me a unit under the terms at the time of the downpayment (i.e., no service contract). I have a downpayment reciept with no mention of a service contract. IANAL, but it seems to me there is no way I can be forced into a service agreement.
As for the "modifications"... well, so what... even if it really has been modified so quickly, I'll bet someone (maybe even myself) will find a way to get around it.
Number 2, no one is ever forced to do *ANYTHING* unless they are threatened with physical harm. When you use it in reference to anything else, you're whining.
The threat of legal action is a threat of force. It is in effect saying "Do this or I will invoke the government to take needed action up to and including force in order to make you comply". You can claim that there is some choice, but the choice is either comply or be FORCED to comply.
Here's an example: Person A: Do what I say or I'll sue Person B: I choose not to Person A: (to Government) Person B won't stop, make them Government: (to Person B) We believe Person A has a right under our rules to make you do what they want Person B: I still choose not to Government: You will do so or be arrested Person B: I choose not to be arrested
The government then beats the hell out of you or shoots you, hauls you to jail, and refuses to let you out until you are in compliance with what they want you to do
That's force. Maybe if more people realized this simple fact they wouldn't be screaming for more and more stupid laws.
Of course we can lump the internet into big catagory chunks. The human brain works that way. We lump beagles, collies, blood hounds, and poodles into "dogs". We lump bees, ants, fleas, and roaches into "insects". We lump Bill Gates, Pat Buchanon, and Satan into "Demonic Beings". It is just human nature to catagorize, this only indicates the internet is being used by humans.
As a hardware vendor it is clear how VA adds value to a free and open platform, Linux and its associated tools. Now they want to help out the developer community. It is nice that they want to help nature open source development, but something in the back of my mind just has to wonder, what's in it for them?
The obvious thing that is in it for them is quality software for the hardware they sell, and at a very low price. It's a win-win situation. Developers get the help of financial backing (although in most cases the backing is indirect), and VA gets developers for cheap (again, indirectly).
Because I use Internet Exploiter at work, I can reject JavaScript, cookies, and Java by default, and selectively enable them on a site-per-site basis (or with wildcards, like *.hotmail.msn.com) simply by going to Tools > Add to Trusted Zone. It makes Superbad fun, and GeoCities bearable.
And what happens when the website you are on reading "Wowee Neato New Web Security Measures" has a link that says "Page Two" and what it really means it "Link to a site likely to be trusted by over confident people and steal their password cookie"?
This story makes one wonder who ended up with the patents to the PET with all the Commodore technology being shuffled around the globe? And further more, when is someone going to release the next generation PET? Forget the Amiga, I want a vamped up PET.
Just one question. How do us "worth reading" posters get our say, when our IPs have been banned... In my case I just use my work's IP.
You contact your ISP and explain to them their lack of control over abuse coming from their servers has inconvienced their customers. And politely insist they fix the problem.
I wish to exclude obituaries from my front page. They are pointless. What good does it do anyone to know that someone is dead.
While I wouldn't argue against a seperate catagory which you could filter if you choose, I disagree that obituaries are pointless. Mad magazine was a favorite of mine as a geek child. While this story leaves me with a little sadness, it is important to remember those who have affected your life. Even if it is in a small way.
It's the Win98 box I worry about her messing up. Only thing odd I've had to do is tape over the power switches. Absolutely true... I've have to tape a peice of cardboard over the front of my computers to protect not only the power switch, but floppy and CD drive. I run Linux on my system, and Win 98 on my wife's system. I am constantly having to fix the 98 system mainly due to my 3 year old reconfiguring it. I have yet to have either child come close to harming the Linux machine. They have their own accounts, and I don't have to worry about them messing with things I don't want them to mess with in Linux. I expect to have to reinstall Win98 within a few weeks if the pattern holds up.
I wasn't talking about three years for technology patents, I was talking about three years for patents, period.
That might be fine for something that only took a few days, weeks, or months to develop, but what about an invention that takes years to perfect? I am personally of the opinion that code should be copyrightable, algorithmns should be public domain (as they aren't invented, only discovered), and physical objects should be patentable.
Back to the three years thing... I think a reasonable length of time for a patent is 10 times the amount of time spent developing it.
You better stop responding to this topic. I have a patent on responding to other people using a computer. I also have a patent on the English language, the font you are using, and letters. I also have patents on the colors black, white, and green.
As a result of this, the inevitable following posts regarding the tag of prisoners, infants at birth and immigrants will be off-base, at least in western democracies.
Actually, I don't see a problem with tagging people convicted of certain crimes (especially violent crimes). The way I see it, they gave up most of their rights when they did the crime. Barring forced tagging, there could always be the option of early release for those who willingly allow themselves to be tagged.
This would be a tremendous deterence to repeating an offence if you could prove where the suspect was at the time of the crime.
Can anybody recommend a good basic book for those of us not from a Computer Science background (my degree is in theatre) but who are trying to get into programming, albiet slowly?
You don't necessarily need a book. Although I like having a peice of paper to reference (call me old-fashioned), there are many resources you can access for free on the internet (and print out if you're like me). Just hop over to http://www.google.com and enter the words "Perl Tutorial" for lots of good links.
Always knew there was a reason nobody around here can drive..
Some unwritten laws that Memphians do obey:
1. Never use your turn signal 2. If you intend make a right turn, make sure you're in the left lane. If you happen to already be in the right lane, merge left first. 3. Stop and look at accidents, but do not assist. 4. If you took a wrong exit, back up - do not keep going until you reach a point where you can safely turn around. 5. Elvis fans are worth 50 points.
A new ai-based patent generator that automatically gleens information off the net, generates patents from it, and submits it to the patent office.
In all fairness, IBM has a reputation for actually creating the things they patent (additionally, those inventions are typically innovative)... unlike some other companies.
Seems like a workable solution would be to use something like a force-feedback joystick in the form of boots and gloves. Attach them to robotic arms strong enough to hold up a human, provide resistance when appropriate and so on. This solves the ladder problem also. Of course, you'd need control points to determine exactly where each finger and toe are supposed to be within the simulation, but that shouldn't be too difficult. The only thing the human would have to get used to is funny feeling gloves (the boots wouldn't have to be too fancy). As long as the visual perception of where the ground is matches where the robotic arm puts the resistance, everything should be peachy keen.
Re:Other than the other corrections.
on
Happy Odd Day!
·
· Score: 1
"The factorization of one itself is a bit wierd. One is the multiplicative identity just as zero is the additive identity. The product of no numbers is one just as the sum of no numbers. This is sort of arbitrary but keeps everything consistent. Imagine the horrors if 0! != 1 or x^0 != 1. The rec.math faq has more information. Check the entry for Why 0^0 == 1. "
I'm not really disagreeing with you, however, I have a problem with these arbitrary rules that mathmaticians make up so that everything works out nice. It sure makes me think that the "speed-of-light" barrier is one of those arbitrary mathmatical flukes.
"1 is not prime because it is only divisible by one number, namely, itself. " But.... A prime number is divisible only by the number one and itself. 1 is divisible only by the number one and itself (which just happens to also be 1), therefore, it still fits the definition of a prime number.
Slashdot Mirror
The Madonna link refers several times to Madonna as if she is a bigger act than Metallica.... Is this true? Have I really become THAT disconnected from pop music?
I guess I can only hope it's true...
You keep saying that a "free" price is "artificial"
The way I read it, he was saying that IMPOSING a free price is artificial. I really don't understand why the two of you are bickering. You both seem to agree on most of the main points, but disagree on how the other says it.
In my opinion, it's nowhere near as import what the price of software, bibles, or food is - so long as the MARKET is free.
They could release everything, but next year's version will have changes to the API, and next year's version of Office will use the new API, so everyone will "have to" upgrade.
True... but how many developers are going to make "Microsoft Compatible" software when they can instead make "Windows Compatible" software that will run on operating systems maintained by other companies as well? Developers will stick to the larger user base.
their estimate at current wholesale costs was about US$300, and I don't think that included the flatpanel.
I suspect the flat panel display is worth about as much as the rest of the machine put together (Does anyone out there know what a comparable flat panel display goes for?). However, the rest of the coponents are dirt cheap.
Here's a price list for the oldest/slowest coponents I can find in a TigerDirect catalog I recently got in the mail:
Motherboard: With 4 Meg AGP video and on board audio - $64.99
Modem Addon for motherboard: - $12.99
AMD k6-2/300: $26.99
Compact Tower case: $37.99
15" Monitor: $74.99
32 Meg RAM: $19.99
That's $237.94 for a 300 MHz system which in all respects is a better system than the I-Opener.
Obviously, it won't cost them that much for older, slower coponents.
I've seen some people write they would spend $400 on an I-Opener... Would any of you care to give me $400 for the system above? If so, E-Mail me.
Throw in the NIC add-on for and extra $5.99 and a 10.2GB hard drive for $109.99 and it's everything and more that most people have been saying they want the I-Opener for.
I am getting mine from Circuit City in New Castle, DE in a week or two (hopefully) and if they ask me to sign a contract, to hell with it. Even if the machine is modified by the time I get it, at least it'll have only been a $100 f* up!
I ordered on from CC on the 12th. There was no mention of a contract at the time and I was required to make a downpayment. I would say that locks CC into an agreement to sell me a unit under the terms at the time of the downpayment (i.e., no service contract). I have a downpayment reciept with no mention of a service contract. IANAL, but it seems to me there is no way I can be forced into a service agreement.
As for the "modifications"... well, so what... even if it really has been modified so quickly, I'll bet someone (maybe even myself) will find a way to get around it.
Number 2, no one is ever forced to do *ANYTHING* unless they are threatened with physical harm. When you use it in reference to anything else, you're whining.
The threat of legal action is a threat of force. It is in effect saying "Do this or I will invoke the government to take needed action up to and including force in order to make you comply". You can claim that there is some choice, but the choice is either comply or be FORCED to comply.
Here's an example:
Person A: Do what I say or I'll sue
Person B: I choose not to
Person A: (to Government) Person B won't stop, make them
Government: (to Person B) We believe Person A has a right under our rules to make you do what they want
Person B: I still choose not to
Government: You will do so or be arrested
Person B: I choose not to be arrested
The government then beats the hell out of you or shoots you, hauls you to jail, and refuses to let you out until you are in compliance with what they want you to do
That's force. Maybe if more people realized this simple fact they wouldn't be screaming for more and more stupid laws.
Of course we can lump the internet into big catagory chunks. The human brain works that way. We lump beagles, collies, blood hounds, and poodles into "dogs". We lump bees, ants, fleas, and roaches into "insects". We lump Bill Gates, Pat Buchanon, and Satan into "Demonic Beings". It is just human nature to catagorize, this only indicates the internet is being used by humans.
As a hardware vendor it is clear how VA adds value to a free and open platform, Linux and its associated tools. Now they want to help out the developer community. It is nice that they want to help nature open source development, but something in the back of my mind just has to wonder, what's in it for them?
The obvious thing that is in it for them is quality software for the hardware they sell, and at a very low price. It's a win-win situation. Developers get the help of financial backing (although in most cases the backing is indirect), and VA gets developers for cheap (again, indirectly).
Because I use Internet Exploiter at work, I can reject JavaScript, cookies, and Java by default, and selectively enable them on a site-per-site basis (or with wildcards, like *.hotmail.msn.com) simply by going to Tools > Add to Trusted Zone. It makes Superbad fun, and GeoCities bearable.
And what happens when the website you are on reading "Wowee Neato New Web Security Measures" has a link that says "Page Two" and what it really means it "Link to a site likely to be trusted by over confident people and steal their password cookie"?
This story makes one wonder who ended up with the patents to the PET with all the Commodore technology being shuffled around the globe? And further more, when is someone going to release the next generation PET? Forget the Amiga, I want a vamped up PET.
Just one question. How do us "worth reading" posters get our say, when our IPs have been banned... In my case I just use my work's IP.
You contact your ISP and explain to them their lack of control over abuse coming from their servers has inconvienced their customers. And politely insist they fix the problem.
I wish to exclude obituaries from my front page. They are pointless. What good does it do anyone to know that someone is dead.
While I wouldn't argue against a seperate catagory which you could filter if you choose, I disagree that obituaries are pointless. Mad magazine was a favorite of mine as a geek child. While this story leaves me with a little sadness, it is important to remember those who have affected your life. Even if it is in a small way.
It's the Win98 box I worry about her messing up. Only thing odd I've had to do is tape over the power switches.
Absolutely true... I've have to tape a peice of cardboard over the front of my computers to protect not only the power switch, but floppy and CD drive. I run Linux on my system, and Win 98 on my wife's system. I am constantly having to fix the 98 system mainly due to my 3 year old reconfiguring it. I have yet to have either child come close to harming the Linux machine. They have their own accounts, and I don't have to worry about them messing with things I don't want them to mess with in Linux. I expect to have to reinstall Win98 within a few weeks if the pattern holds up.
I wasn't talking about three years for technology patents, I was talking about three years for patents, period.
That might be fine for something that only took a few days, weeks, or months to develop, but what about an invention that takes years to perfect? I am personally of the opinion that code should be copyrightable, algorithmns should be public domain (as they aren't invented, only discovered), and physical objects should be patentable.
Back to the three years thing... I think a reasonable length of time for a patent is 10 times the amount of time spent developing it.
Microsoft makes money off of operating systems, not patents....
You mean Microsoft has an operating system?
You better stop responding to this topic. I have a patent on responding to other people using a computer. I also have a patent on the English language, the font you are using, and letters. I also have patents on the colors black, white, and green.
So cut it out, everyone.
As a result of this, the inevitable following posts regarding the tag of prisoners, infants at birth and immigrants will be off-base, at least in western democracies.
Actually, I don't see a problem with tagging people convicted of certain crimes (especially violent crimes). The way I see it, they gave up most of their rights when they did the crime. Barring forced tagging, there could always be the option of early release for those who willingly allow themselves to be tagged.
This would be a tremendous deterence to repeating an offence if you could prove where the suspect was at the time of the crime.
Can anybody recommend a good basic book for those of us not from a Computer Science background (my degree is in theatre) but who are trying to get into programming, albiet slowly?
You don't necessarily need a book. Although I like having a peice of paper to reference (call me old-fashioned), there are many resources you can access for free on the internet (and print out if you're like me). Just hop over to http://www.google.com and enter the words "Perl Tutorial" for lots of good links.
Always knew there was a reason nobody around here can drive..
Some unwritten laws that Memphians do obey:
1. Never use your turn signal
2. If you intend make a right turn, make sure you're in the left lane. If you happen to already be in the right lane, merge left first.
3. Stop and look at accidents, but do not assist.
4. If you took a wrong exit, back up - do not keep going until you reach a point where you can safely turn around.
5. Elvis fans are worth 50 points.
Why not rename Slashdot?
We could have:
Slashtiva
Slash Dotient
Pickle P45
Hack Point
Art Garfunkiva
A new ai-based patent generator that automatically gleens information off the net, generates patents from it, and submits it to the patent office.
In all fairness, IBM has a reputation for actually creating the things they patent (additionally, those inventions are typically innovative)... unlike some other companies.
If people are "producing more than they consume", then someone is stealing some of the product of their labour.
...and then advocated taking all of it instead.
This would tend to be the government.
As Karl Marx pointed out.
Seems like a workable solution would be to use something like a force-feedback joystick in the form of boots and gloves. Attach them to robotic arms strong enough to hold up a human, provide resistance when appropriate and so on. This solves the ladder problem also. Of course, you'd need control points to determine exactly where each finger and toe are supposed to be within the simulation, but that shouldn't be too difficult. The only thing the human would have to get used to is funny feeling gloves (the boots wouldn't have to be too fancy). As long as the visual perception of where the ground is matches where the robotic arm puts the resistance, everything should be peachy keen.
"The factorization of one itself is a bit wierd. One is the multiplicative identity just as zero is the additive identity. The product of no numbers is one just as the sum of no numbers. This is sort of arbitrary but keeps everything consistent. Imagine the horrors if 0! != 1 or x^0 != 1. The rec.math faq has more information. Check the entry for Why 0^0 == 1. "
I'm not really disagreeing with you, however, I have a problem with these arbitrary rules that mathmaticians make up so that everything works out nice. It sure makes me think that the "speed-of-light" barrier is one of those arbitrary mathmatical flukes.
"1 is not prime because it is only divisible by one number, namely, itself. " But.... A prime number is divisible only by the number one and itself. 1 is divisible only by the number one and itself (which just happens to also be 1), therefore, it still fits the definition of a prime number.