English is the unofficial language of the world anyway... how come students all around the globe learn English at a young age (when one is the most adept at learning a language), while many US students are lucky to get 2 or 3 years of a foreign language in high school (which, speaking from experience, is not enough to do anything useful).
English is also the official language of air traffic control, so basically if you live in a non-English speaking country and want to be a commercial pilot, you must learn English. Of course, many pilots only learn enough useful English to communicate with ATC and nothing else, but that does say something.
How would open-sourcing software work for ATC? First of all, the majority of the problem is the hardware. Open-sourcing the software would not help that one bit! The US by far has the best ATC setup in the world, even with all of it's deficiencies. The FAA has long had plans to upgrade the systems, but those have been fought with budget overruns and slipping deadlines. In short, nothing's going to happen until the current system just stops working one day.
Also, how would your average OSS programmer contribute? In short, they wouldn't. I am a pilot, and I am no expert in ATC procedures and regulations even though I fly "in the system" several times per week. I also know many pilots who don't know a lick about how the internals of ATC work either. Don't get me wrong, we know how they work for us, but not all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Your average Joe programmer is going to know less and I just don't see how they can contribute greatly to improving a system that is broken is more ways than poor software.
Red Hat is the most commercial of all distros, and arguably the best tuned to servers. I mean, what other distro can you buy at Best Buy with almost everything you need to set up an e-buisness webserver? Granted, it's way too expensive to buy the boxed professional edition, but it comes with support, and that's what companies like.
Free speech issues aside, does any student actually buy these notes? I never have, but then again, I've never really skipped more than a couple classes per semester. Evidently there's a market for these, since you see those shops everywhere, but I don't know a single person who's actually bought notes.
Most of the lecture-type classes I've taken a service like this would be completely useless since they normally put a copy of their notes in the library after class anyway. As a matter of fact, that would be a good way of combating this... just have the prof dump his notes in the library and make them available to students at the cost of copying... whether it's done by hand or for 5c a page from the copier. Just eliminate the market for them and you eliminate the problem.
Exactly! I'm in the same situation. I've used Red Hat since 5.1 or.2, and lately have just become fed up. For crying out loud, my keys don't even repeat anymore! I'm going to wait until Tues. to install Debian, but it's definately going on. This is the final straw.
I appreciate all that Red Hat's done for Linux in general, and especially the momentum they gave to the open source movement. But they sure as hell didn't start it. If I had to say someone started it, I'd have to say the guys at Berkeley should get the credit. But no way on earth would I say it's Red Hat.
If you get a GPS unit that outputs raw data via RS-232 serial port (most do), you can plug it into the hotsync port (at least on the non-Visor types) and get some software and you're good to go.
Heh... my CAD class I took in high school about 5 years ago had predominately 286s running Autocad 9. It's funny to watch it redraw the circle in real time!
I lucked out and got one of the few 486s. Funny thing was that even that piece of shit was better than the computer I had at the time.
I'm not surprised that OS X isn't great as a Unix... it wasn't designed to be one. It was designed to be a desktop OS that just happened to use a *BSD base. I don't know if any of you have played around with NeXTSTEP, but it sucked as a Unix also. It was an *excellent* OS as far as the GUI went, and that's why everyone loved it... not because of it's *nixness. Things like no dev tools, nonstandard config files, no X, etc., don't do much for making *nix geeks happy, you know.
I don't understand why Apple is doing this. They can't possibly make a competitive OS for x86 architecture, although I would very much like to see them do just that. I doubt they will get driver support from the manufacturers, and without driver support, you have a worthless OS. It doesn't matter how cool or pretty it is.
Is this just an exercise to see if they can do it? Or are they actually planning to market this?
Umm.. that's the whole point of overclocking... skimping on the processor so you can buy better quality components. At least for me, because I spent less on an "inferior" processor, i was able to buy 256mb ram and 2 fast ibm hard disks.
I was going to spend the same amount either way, I just don't want to spend 40% of it on a processor.
Back in my day, we didn't need any stinkin' processor coolers. Damn kids now think they can just make a hot processor and expect *us* to cool it? Sounds like bad design to me!
From what I've read, the million dollar settlement was a direct response of McD not playing nice. Here's the real story... that particular McD was warned many times about coffee *way* to hot (we're talking above the boiling point here) and refused to do anything about it, saying that people like coffee hot. People may like coffee hot, but I'm sure people don't like it boiling hot! So the lady spills her coffee, finds out about the history of complaints about way too hot coffee, and decides to talk to a lawyer. Initially, they wanted McD to pay *the cost of the medical bills only* and McD flat-out refused, so they took them to court. And they won $1M and the rest was history.
If a company treated me like an ass when I asked nice, you better believe I would do the same thing.
No one has any idea what *anything's* going to be like in 10 years, let alone something changing as much as a computer. I read through this and it sounds like some guy's just making up things. Sure, there's technical background to what they say, but it's about 90% speculation.
How many times have we heard that by the year 2000 we'd be driving space cars and have robot maids a la Jetsons? Come on....
Granted, there are a few exceptions, but all the money that will be made is most likely going to be made in the first 35 years. So, does this really mean much?
Some of the older (I believe -100x model) playstations would crash because they generated too much heat. I believe the fix for that was to flip your PS over for better cooling.
The reason is that most lasers used in DVD players can only read DVDs, CD-RWs, and DVD-Rs. CD-Rs require a different wavelength laser (if you recall, the 1st-gen DVD-ROM drives could not read CD-R discs), and cannot be read unless the drive has another laser to read CD-Rs. They probably thought that the expense of another laser assembly did not outweigh the benefits of being able to read CD-Rs.
Most new-gen console DVD players can't read CD-Rs, but read CD-RWs just fine.
the display is still the same size in pixels! The Palm V(x) has a smaller display in *inches* (or centimeters if you prefer), yet the pixel dimensions are exactly the same as previous palms. Think about it... why would they alter the amount of pixels on the screen? About every app would have to be rewritten to fit on the damn thing. No company's *that* stupid, not even Microsoft, or even LinuxOne (ok, maybe they're that stupid).
The smaller screen's actually a *benefit*, as the pixel size will decrease and make it easier to read. Fonts will seem less jaggy, etc. Plus, it'll be sooo much easier to fit in my pocket (right!)
Can you imagine a beowulf cluster of those pegboard computers? You could even lie about 10 of them on top of each other and it still would only be about 1 foot tall.
I think wireframe mode would seriously speed things up. There'd be no textures to worry about whatsoever, at least if it was true wireframe. Framerates would probably about equal your processor speed in megahertz. Seriously... they're getting upwards of 70-80 now with textures and all.
Now if they do some sort of pseudo-wireframe mode where textures are faded or semi-translucent, then we may see framerates drop. Way down probably. But it still would be a cool-for-none-other-than-a-show-off-reason feature.
Well, yes, but the average Joe using a computer is not going to compile his browser. He wants a pretty Installshield-like installer that gives him checkboxes or radio buttons in which to pick the components to install.
Slashdot Mirror
There is a technical whitepaper on the Verisign site... just look above...
ftp://ftp.heckard.com/pub/eazel/ go for it!
Not to mention that Mike Fleming from Easel is coming TONIGHT! Anyone from Purdue reading this... show up (MSEE B012, 7PM)
English is the unofficial language of the world anyway... how come students all around the globe learn English at a young age (when one is the most adept at learning a language), while many US students are lucky to get 2 or 3 years of a foreign language in high school (which, speaking from experience, is not enough to do anything useful).
English is also the official language of air traffic control, so basically if you live in a non-English speaking country and want to be a commercial pilot, you must learn English. Of course, many pilots only learn enough useful English to communicate with ATC and nothing else, but that does say something.
There is a good version of Winamp for *nix... it's called XMMS!
How would open-sourcing software work for ATC? First of all, the majority of the problem is the hardware. Open-sourcing the software would not help that one bit! The US by far has the best ATC setup in the world, even with all of it's deficiencies. The FAA has long had plans to upgrade the systems, but those have been fought with budget overruns and slipping deadlines. In short, nothing's going to happen until the current system just stops working one day.
Also, how would your average OSS programmer contribute? In short, they wouldn't. I am a pilot, and I am no expert in ATC procedures and regulations even though I fly "in the system" several times per week. I also know many pilots who don't know a lick about how the internals of ATC work either. Don't get me wrong, we know how they work for us, but not all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Your average Joe programmer is going to know less and I just don't see how they can contribute greatly to improving a system that is broken is more ways than poor software.
Red Hat is the most commercial of all distros, and arguably the best tuned to servers. I mean, what other distro can you buy at Best Buy with almost everything you need to set up an e-buisness webserver? Granted, it's way too expensive to buy the boxed professional edition, but it comes with support, and that's what companies like.
Free speech issues aside, does any student actually buy these notes? I never have, but then again, I've never really skipped more than a couple classes per semester. Evidently there's a market for these, since you see those shops everywhere, but I don't know a single person who's actually bought notes.
Most of the lecture-type classes I've taken a service like this would be completely useless since they normally put a copy of their notes in the library after class anyway. As a matter of fact, that would be a good way of combating this... just have the prof dump his notes in the library and make them available to students at the cost of copying... whether it's done by hand or for 5c a page from the copier. Just eliminate the market for them and you eliminate the problem.
Exactly! I'm in the same situation. I've used Red Hat since 5.1 or .2, and lately have just become fed up. For crying out loud, my keys don't even repeat anymore! I'm going to wait until Tues. to install Debian, but it's definately going on. This is the final straw.
I appreciate all that Red Hat's done for Linux in general, and especially the momentum they gave to the open source movement. But they sure as hell didn't start it. If I had to say someone started it, I'd have to say the guys at Berkeley should get the credit. But no way on earth would I say it's Red Hat.
If you get a GPS unit that outputs raw data via RS-232 serial port (most do), you can plug it into the hotsync port (at least on the non-Visor types) and get some software and you're good to go.
Heh... my CAD class I took in high school about 5 years ago had predominately 286s running Autocad 9. It's funny to watch it redraw the circle in real time!
I lucked out and got one of the few 486s. Funny thing was that even that piece of shit was better than the computer I had at the time.
I'm not surprised that OS X isn't great as a Unix... it wasn't designed to be one. It was designed to be a desktop OS that just happened to use a *BSD base. I don't know if any of you have played around with NeXTSTEP, but it sucked as a Unix also. It was an *excellent* OS as far as the GUI went, and that's why everyone loved it... not because of it's *nixness. Things like no dev tools, nonstandard config files, no X, etc., don't do much for making *nix geeks happy, you know.
Kanything Kstarting Kwith KA 'K'...
I don't understand why Apple is doing this. They can't possibly make a competitive OS for x86 architecture, although I would very much like to see them do just that. I doubt they will get driver support from the manufacturers, and without driver support, you have a worthless OS. It doesn't matter how cool or pretty it is.
Is this just an exercise to see if they can do it? Or are they actually planning to market this?
Umm.. that's the whole point of overclocking... skimping on the processor so you can buy better quality components. At least for me, because I spent less on an "inferior" processor, i was able to buy 256mb ram and 2 fast ibm hard disks.
I was going to spend the same amount either way, I just don't want to spend 40% of it on a processor.
Back in my day, we didn't need any stinkin' processor coolers. Damn kids now think they can just make a hot processor and expect *us* to cool it? Sounds like bad design to me!
From what I've read, the million dollar settlement was a direct response of McD not playing nice. Here's the real story... that particular McD was warned many times about coffee *way* to hot (we're talking above the boiling point here) and refused to do anything about it, saying that people like coffee hot. People may like coffee hot, but I'm sure people don't like it boiling hot! So the lady spills her coffee, finds out about the history of complaints about way too hot coffee, and decides to talk to a lawyer. Initially, they wanted McD to pay *the cost of the medical bills only* and McD flat-out refused, so they took them to court. And they won $1M and the rest was history.
If a company treated me like an ass when I asked nice, you better believe I would do the same thing.
No one has any idea what *anything's* going to be like in 10 years, let alone something changing as much as a computer. I read through this and it sounds like some guy's just making up things. Sure, there's technical background to what they say, but it's about 90% speculation.
How many times have we heard that by the year 2000 we'd be driving space cars and have robot maids a la Jetsons? Come on....
Granted, there are a few exceptions, but all the money that will be made is most likely going to be made in the first 35 years. So, does this really mean much?
Some of the older (I believe -100x model) playstations would crash because they generated too much heat. I believe the fix for that was to flip your PS over for better cooling.
The reason is that most lasers used in DVD players can only read DVDs, CD-RWs, and DVD-Rs. CD-Rs require a different wavelength laser (if you recall, the 1st-gen DVD-ROM drives could not read CD-R discs), and cannot be read unless the drive has another laser to read CD-Rs. They probably thought that the expense of another laser assembly did not outweigh the benefits of being able to read CD-Rs.
Most new-gen console DVD players can't read CD-Rs, but read CD-RWs just fine.
the display is still the same size in pixels! The Palm V(x) has a smaller display in *inches* (or centimeters if you prefer), yet the pixel dimensions are exactly the same as previous palms. Think about it... why would they alter the amount of pixels on the screen? About every app would have to be rewritten to fit on the damn thing. No company's *that* stupid, not even Microsoft, or even LinuxOne (ok, maybe they're that stupid).
The smaller screen's actually a *benefit*, as the pixel size will decrease and make it easier to read. Fonts will seem less jaggy, etc. Plus, it'll be sooo much easier to fit in my pocket (right!)
Can you imagine a beowulf cluster of those pegboard computers? You could even lie about 10 of them on top of each other and it still would only be about 1 foot tall.
I think wireframe mode would seriously speed things up. There'd be no textures to worry about whatsoever, at least if it was true wireframe. Framerates would probably about equal your processor speed in megahertz. Seriously... they're getting upwards of 70-80 now with textures and all.
Now if they do some sort of pseudo-wireframe mode where textures are faded or semi-translucent, then we may see framerates drop. Way down probably. But it still would be a cool-for-none-other-than-a-show-off-reason feature.
Well, yes, but the average Joe using a computer is not going to compile his browser. He wants a pretty Installshield-like installer that gives him checkboxes or radio buttons in which to pick the components to install.