Wouldn't that mean more work to get them to work together, though? Their idea is that each component will know how to interface (dare I say synergize?) with every other. That's hard enough as it is, but figuring out how to make even lower-level components work together is harder yet.
The 'cool' part of this tech is using devices together in a way not previously considered... But the devices wouldn't know how to do that. There's have to be special software written. I wonder if it's got an open source OS or anything? It could make or break this product.
And other than the fact that they snap on like LEGO, how is this any different than a computer with USB devices?
He's not saying he approves of it. He's not saying -anything- about DRM. If you have to put words in his mouth, try something a little more accurate like: He doesn't think DRM is a battle for the Linux kernel to fight.
That's one of the weirdest clauses I've ever heard of... I wonder how truly useful it is, and if Universal really has it as well.
And I'm wondering if they -really- care. Most of their movie sales are going to still be DVD anyhow. And the exclusive contract won't be in effect forever, especially if HD-DVD throws in the towel. I think the most harmful thing would be if they were forced to release all their movies on HD-DVD even knowing they won't sell.
IMHO, the format war is far from over, anyhow. HD DVD players are half the price of the Bluray players, and that means a -lot-, especially while the market is just forming. There are -very- few people buying their second high def player. Almost every player sold is to a new household.
And as far as I can tell, they are getting out of their 'exclusive' contract, but that doesn't mean they'll flop the other way. They might just produce discs for both now.
Somewhere along the line, the term 'vaporware' stopped meaning 'promised but never came' with an implied period of time having passed and turned into 'hasn't been sold to the public yet.' It'll do you no good to argue about the definition, though... It's best to just ignore the buzzwords and get on with life.
It's sort of like 'bricked'... Means nothing like what it used to.
There are times when this type of development is not appropriate or over complicates the matter;" - Having events was too complicated
"Yes clustering is supported, but not like an application servers. A cluster of Coadunation instances do not run as one system. They are instead bound together in a hierarchy, making it possible to access any daemon anywhere in a cluster." - Not much of a 'cluster' if you have to reference each server specifically.
"Unfortunatly at this point no CORBA interceptors are available to authenticate the call on Coadunation." - That's a no.
"Coadunation does not however allow more than one endpoint per WSDL file." - If you can't handle a real WSDL, why bother?
"Is UDDI suppoted? Not at this point there are plans to implement it." - Another no.
There are a few 'yes'es here and there, but mostly it's a big negative. There's something to say for simplicity, but cutting features in a 'clustered' daemon doesn't seem to be a great idea.
Do you understand what 'future proof' means? It means you won't have to replace it in the future with something better. I'm not denying that it's done well so far, I'm denying that there will -never- be an advance that obsoletes it. I said -nothing- about physical wires. I did, however, mention a few possible improvements to optical that might make current optical cables obsolete. If you have to replace something, even with a better version of itself, it's not future-proof.
"Bach says that Microsoft sold 17.7 million consoles this season, surpassing their expectations and putting the 360 on track for the biggest year in video game history."
Suddenly their 17.7mil total is 17.7mil this season. Like, in the last 2-3 months. It's so obviously wrong that I couldn't believe they could write it. Every other source that I saw got it right, including joystiq and engadget. -sigh-
Future-proof? Are you kidding me? Even if optical never gets replaced by something better, someone will find a way to modify that cable and get 10x the throughput, and your 'future proof' cable will be old news again. Maybe it's a new end, or a new substance for the transmission, or a new coating... Someone will find something to make your 'future proof' cable obsolete.
"Nice, so, all the people that spent $$$$ on some HD-DVD player or Xbox attachment are going to be mighty pissed off,"
No, that's not quite true. I recently got an HDDVD player for $200 (the hda3) and it comes with 7 free movies. Admittedly, they aren't the $60 ones that are just coming out, but decent movies. They still all retail for at least $25. That's $175 worth of movies, plus a player, for $200. I'm going to be hard-pressed to be pissed at getting an upconverting DVD player (assuming HDDVD is dead) for $25.
So while people who paid too much for their player will be pissed, those who paid a decent price are quite happy with our purchase.
Disclaimer: I actually received the unit as a gift, but the giver paid $200.
But that still doesn't answer why Microsoft thinks they can push this format that will -only- work on their newest operating system, the very same one that people are removing to put the old system back on? The old one that Dell was practically forced to put on their list of OS's again?
If MS -did- release the specs, that would be 1 thing. But they haven't yet, and Vista supports it already.
I'm not saying the format is dumb, or that it should be used for a desktop or server hard drive... I'm only saying that it only works on the the least-popular Microsoft operating system, and nothing else.
I can only imagine that Bill said 'That is the dumbest idea I've heard since I've been at Microsoft' and someone misinterpreted it.
It's even worse yet: It doesn't BRICK the iPhone. It only un-hacks it and patches the flaws. The phones works exactly as Apple has always said they would: Only on AT&T's service, and without third-party applications.
The only reason I'm not completely irate at the idiotic use of the word 'brick' (which even the dumbest PSP gamer can use correctly, but iPhone users can't) is that I think it might just influence the market to move back to a more open way of doing things, instead of following Apple's lead and closing it all off. Closing off the iPhone to third-party development has got to be the single most heinous thing Apple has ever done (I can't think of a second, actually) and I'm very disgusted with them.
I had planned to buy the Neo 1973 (running OpenMoko) when it came out in November, but November came and went and they're still talking about releasing the devkits at the 'end of the year' last year, and now there's a second version due sometime in 2008. I'm starting to wonder if they'll ever get on the ball and release it. Still, I guess this gives them longer to copy as much of Apple's stuff as they can without violating patents or copyrights. Personally, I'd rather have the first generation out already and be working on shaping the second generation, but oh well.
(Yes, I've seriously considered a devkit, but I -really- want the motion sensors for some gaming ideas I have.)
"Adds support for exFAT, a new file system supporting larger overall capacity and larger files, which will be used in Flash memory storage and consumer devices."
Holy propaganda, Batman! Are we to honestly believe that Microsoft will be able to shove a new filesystem down our throats that will -only- work on what is widely being hailed as the worst operating system ever? What a joke!
They don't have cause an effect reversed, and neither do you. It's a cycle and that was the wrong choice for them. Suing your customers really will result in fewer customers, and choosing to sue your customers was one of the options they had after poor sales.
But I don't for a second believe that's -why- they are suing. Even if sales were good, they would -still- be suing to attempt to gain every penny they could and rid the world of 'piracy'. It's doomed to fail, but they can't see that.
"No - its all a conspiracy by the manufacturers of bottled water and 1l zip-lock plastic bags."
Oh My God. I came to exactly the same conclusion while sitting there listening to the announcement about the liquids and Ziplock (Yes, they mentioned the brand name!) bags, except it was hygiene products and Ziplock. The -only- reason to buy those stupid little bottles is for traveling through security. Quite a racket they've got there.
I was kidding, but the words -did- leave my mouth.:)
I was in the airport this last weekend to pick someone up. As I sat and waited, I heard the 'if you see anything or anyone suspicious, dial 911' announcement a few dozen times.
I hate airports to start with, and the added security and craziness makes me hate them more. So now, on top of that, my nervousness might be seen as terrorist attitude and I've got 1 -more- thing to worry about. Great!
I heard a rumor a while back... The rumor said that we have -never- found even a single terrorist with the security we have at the airports. Not one. Since then, I have never seen a news report that says we found a terrorist at an airport. There are reports of spoiled plots, but they never involve the airport itself... They are always stopped by law enforcement.
Has anyone got a news report they can cite to show we -have- found terrorists this way? Or are the airport security concerns just harrassing law-abiding citizens?
I would have modded this insightful, rather than funny. If your product can't be found with a google search, you're making a big mistake. Heck, if you can't walk into a store and ask for it by name, you're making a bit mistake.
Customer: I'd like to buy a SHOW. Best Buy: You'd what? Customer: A SHOW. Where are they? Best Buy: DVDs are over there. -points- Customer: No, a SHOW. It's a projector. Best Buy: TVs are over there. -points-
On the other hand, if you ask for an iMac or Vista, or any other product with a distinctive name, you'll be led right to it with no confusion.
I do have to give them credit, though... 'show projector' brings the right link up in Google as the first hit. How they managed this, I don't know.
I found this out this last few days. I was watching movies with a girl (amazing, I know, just hang in there) this last few days and at one point she turns to me and says 'Can't you just watch the movie, instead of picking it apart?' My parents were sitting on the other side of her doing exactly the same thing. (The movie was National Treasure 2, just for reference.)
But then, I've known for years how little fact checking is done for movies and TV. And the plot holes are usually large enough to walk through. But they're just entertainment.
Having said that, I still continue to expect the -News- to be more than entertainment. Every time I see them say something like 'Size A eggs could kill you... Story at 11!' I want to scream. If they are truly that dangerous, should there not be an immediate alert in an attempt to save lives? Nooo... It's just an entertainment piece and an attempt to drive ratings.
Good points, and I'm surprised you weren't modded up.
I have definitely been through the purchase cycles to find out what I want. I have exactly 1 item in my house (that isn't unique, like an Wii) that I got right on the first try. My toaster oven. And if you count my time, I spent the worth of it on the internet doing research before I bought it.
And I definitely agree about the remotes, though I think it should go a step further. I remember a technology a while back that was supposed to let your devices all talk to your TV and just use the 1 remote to control it all. Somehow, that just disappeared. (Patents?) We've now got $400 remotes that -still- can't control all devices. (The PS3's remote is bluetooth, instead of IR, so no universal remotes work.)
Maybe the problem is that you're spending too much money.
Mobile Home - Light switches are all pretty damned obvious as there's only 1 light in each room.
Cheap oven - There aren't many knobs to worry about, and it's pretty easy to remember which is which.
Cheap TV - Only has 0-9 and volume controls on the remote.
Cheap DVD - Only has play/stop/pause and fastforward/rewind, plus a couple of 'menu' buttons to access the menus on the dvd.
Cheap Fridge - Has a dial from 0 to 9 with details on which is coldest.
A lot of your problems don't even stem from lack of design. They come from having too many features.
There are 50 buttons on that remote because the device does SO much stuff. You paid for it, and you'll need a way to control it. Personally, I -use- those buttons, so I don't find them to be annoying.
There are too many light switches in the house because you have so much control over the lighting. Oddly enough, the fix for this probably can actually be -more- technology instead of less. I plan to one day hook up my lights to the computer and control them based on time, where people are in the house, and other factors.
There's a difference between preventing them from breeding and preventing them from purposefully making their unborn child disabled. If the child is born deaf, that's life. If the doctor purposefully chooses that the child will be born deaf, that's child abuse.
Being deaf is -not- an advantage to the child. A hearing child can interract with the family in every way that a deaf child can and more. Last I checked, my parents -wanted- me to do better than them. This is merely an attempt to create a life of pain for the child just to please some whim of the parents.
When that child is old enough to understand that it didn't -have- to be deaf, that its parents decided it would be unlike all the other children on purpose, it will cause a rift in the family that may never be repaired. It will color everything that child does from then on and they will think of all the opportunities their parents stole from them out of selfishness.
While moved from Slackware to Kubuntu for the same reason you did, I think you missed the troll's point:
'Lusers' prefer Ubuntu.
That doesn't mean you or I are lusers, just that if you ask a luser was distro they want, they say 'Ubuntu'. Of course, it also happens that if you ask many professionals the same question, they'll answer the same.
The reason is simple: Ubuntu is fixing all the complaints about Linux distros. Ease of use, painful configuration, etc etc. They're making Linux a joy to use for the non-technical and the technical people are reaping the benefits as well. Every minute that I don't spend in xorg.conf is a minute I spent elsewhere, enjoying what I want to instead.
In short, you responded just as the troll wanted you, too. You took the bait and ran with it and ended up with nothing.
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May not suck... Wow, such strong verbiage. How can you possibly defend such a rigid stance?
Next time you're trying to defend something, don't start from 'may not suck'. Try something a little more positive.
Wouldn't that mean more work to get them to work together, though? Their idea is that each component will know how to interface (dare I say synergize?) with every other. That's hard enough as it is, but figuring out how to make even lower-level components work together is harder yet.
The 'cool' part of this tech is using devices together in a way not previously considered... But the devices wouldn't know how to do that. There's have to be special software written. I wonder if it's got an open source OS or anything? It could make or break this product.
And other than the fact that they snap on like LEGO, how is this any different than a computer with USB devices?
Maybe the DHS doesn't use it? I suspect their focus was on software they use, or are planning to use.
Only if you insist on mpeg2. If you use some reasonable compression then you can easily get high-def in that size.
He's not saying he approves of it. He's not saying -anything- about DRM. If you have to put words in his mouth, try something a little more accurate like: He doesn't think DRM is a battle for the Linux kernel to fight.
That's one of the weirdest clauses I've ever heard of... I wonder how truly useful it is, and if Universal really has it as well.
And I'm wondering if they -really- care. Most of their movie sales are going to still be DVD anyhow. And the exclusive contract won't be in effect forever, especially if HD-DVD throws in the towel. I think the most harmful thing would be if they were forced to release all their movies on HD-DVD even knowing they won't sell.
IMHO, the format war is far from over, anyhow. HD DVD players are half the price of the Bluray players, and that means a -lot-, especially while the market is just forming. There are -very- few people buying their second high def player. Almost every player sold is to a new household.
And as far as I can tell, they are getting out of their 'exclusive' contract, but that doesn't mean they'll flop the other way. They might just produce discs for both now.
Somewhere along the line, the term 'vaporware' stopped meaning 'promised but never came' with an implied period of time having passed and turned into 'hasn't been sold to the public yet.' It'll do you no good to argue about the definition, though... It's best to just ignore the buzzwords and get on with life.
It's sort of like 'bricked'... Means nothing like what it used to.
The FAQ page reads like a list of things it -can't- do and why some of that's great. (Simplicity)
http://www.coadunation.net/faq.php
"Yes Coadunation does allow the developer to implement threads." - No built-in support.
There are times when this type of development is not appropriate or over complicates the matter;" - Having events was too complicated
"Yes clustering is supported, but not like an application servers. A cluster of Coadunation instances do not run as one system. They are instead bound together in a hierarchy, making it possible to access any daemon anywhere in a cluster." - Not much of a 'cluster' if you have to reference each server specifically.
"Unfortunatly at this point no CORBA interceptors are available to authenticate the call on Coadunation." - That's a no.
"Coadunation does not however allow more than one endpoint per WSDL file." - If you can't handle a real WSDL, why bother?
"Is UDDI suppoted? Not at this point there are plans to implement it." - Another no.
There are a few 'yes'es here and there, but mostly it's a big negative. There's something to say for simplicity, but cutting features in a 'clustered' daemon doesn't seem to be a great idea.
Do you understand what 'future proof' means? It means you won't have to replace it in the future with something better. I'm not denying that it's done well so far, I'm denying that there will -never- be an advance that obsoletes it. I said -nothing- about physical wires. I did, however, mention a few possible improvements to optical that might make current optical cables obsolete. If you have to replace something, even with a better version of itself, it's not future-proof.
Oh, don't forget their other major blunder from early this morning:
http://kotaku.com/341375/microsoft-360-on-track-for-biggest-game-year-in-history?cpage=2
"Bach says that Microsoft sold 17.7 million consoles this season, surpassing their expectations and putting the 360 on track for the biggest year in video game history."
Suddenly their 17.7mil total is 17.7mil this season. Like, in the last 2-3 months. It's so obviously wrong that I couldn't believe they could write it. Every other source that I saw got it right, including joystiq and engadget. -sigh-
Future-proof? Are you kidding me? Even if optical never gets replaced by something better, someone will find a way to modify that cable and get 10x the throughput, and your 'future proof' cable will be old news again. Maybe it's a new end, or a new substance for the transmission, or a new coating... Someone will find something to make your 'future proof' cable obsolete.
"Nice, so, all the people that spent $$$$ on some HD-DVD player or Xbox attachment are going to be mighty pissed off,"
No, that's not quite true. I recently got an HDDVD player for $200 (the hda3) and it comes with 7 free movies. Admittedly, they aren't the $60 ones that are just coming out, but decent movies. They still all retail for at least $25. That's $175 worth of movies, plus a player, for $200. I'm going to be hard-pressed to be pissed at getting an upconverting DVD player (assuming HDDVD is dead) for $25.
So while people who paid too much for their player will be pissed, those who paid a decent price are quite happy with our purchase.
Disclaimer: I actually received the unit as a gift, but the giver paid $200.
But that still doesn't answer why Microsoft thinks they can push this format that will -only- work on their newest operating system, the very same one that people are removing to put the old system back on? The old one that Dell was practically forced to put on their list of OS's again?
If MS -did- release the specs, that would be 1 thing. But they haven't yet, and Vista supports it already.
I'm not saying the format is dumb, or that it should be used for a desktop or server hard drive... I'm only saying that it only works on the the least-popular Microsoft operating system, and nothing else.
I can only imagine that Bill said 'That is the dumbest idea I've heard since I've been at Microsoft' and someone misinterpreted it.
It's even worse yet: It doesn't BRICK the iPhone. It only un-hacks it and patches the flaws. The phones works exactly as Apple has always said they would: Only on AT&T's service, and without third-party applications.
The only reason I'm not completely irate at the idiotic use of the word 'brick' (which even the dumbest PSP gamer can use correctly, but iPhone users can't) is that I think it might just influence the market to move back to a more open way of doing things, instead of following Apple's lead and closing it all off. Closing off the iPhone to third-party development has got to be the single most heinous thing Apple has ever done (I can't think of a second, actually) and I'm very disgusted with them.
I had planned to buy the Neo 1973 (running OpenMoko) when it came out in November, but November came and went and they're still talking about releasing the devkits at the 'end of the year' last year, and now there's a second version due sometime in 2008. I'm starting to wonder if they'll ever get on the ball and release it. Still, I guess this gives them longer to copy as much of Apple's stuff as they can without violating patents or copyrights. Personally, I'd rather have the first generation out already and be working on shaping the second generation, but oh well.
(Yes, I've seriously considered a devkit, but I -really- want the motion sensors for some gaming ideas I have.)
"Adds support for exFAT, a new file system supporting larger overall capacity and larger files, which will be used in Flash memory storage and consumer devices."
Holy propaganda, Batman! Are we to honestly believe that Microsoft will be able to shove a new filesystem down our throats that will -only- work on what is widely being hailed as the worst operating system ever? What a joke!
They don't have cause an effect reversed, and neither do you. It's a cycle and that was the wrong choice for them. Suing your customers really will result in fewer customers, and choosing to sue your customers was one of the options they had after poor sales.
But I don't for a second believe that's -why- they are suing. Even if sales were good, they would -still- be suing to attempt to gain every penny they could and rid the world of 'piracy'. It's doomed to fail, but they can't see that.
"No - its all a conspiracy by the manufacturers of bottled water and 1l zip-lock plastic bags."
:)
Oh My God. I came to exactly the same conclusion while sitting there listening to the announcement about the liquids and Ziplock (Yes, they mentioned the brand name!) bags, except it was hygiene products and Ziplock. The -only- reason to buy those stupid little bottles is for traveling through security. Quite a racket they've got there.
I was kidding, but the words -did- leave my mouth.
I was in the airport this last weekend to pick someone up. As I sat and waited, I heard the 'if you see anything or anyone suspicious, dial 911' announcement a few dozen times.
I hate airports to start with, and the added security and craziness makes me hate them more. So now, on top of that, my nervousness might be seen as terrorist attitude and I've got 1 -more- thing to worry about. Great!
I heard a rumor a while back... The rumor said that we have -never- found even a single terrorist with the security we have at the airports. Not one. Since then, I have never seen a news report that says we found a terrorist at an airport. There are reports of spoiled plots, but they never involve the airport itself... They are always stopped by law enforcement.
Has anyone got a news report they can cite to show we -have- found terrorists this way? Or are the airport security concerns just harrassing law-abiding citizens?
I would have modded this insightful, rather than funny. If your product can't be found with a google search, you're making a big mistake. Heck, if you can't walk into a store and ask for it by name, you're making a bit mistake.
Customer: I'd like to buy a SHOW.
Best Buy: You'd what?
Customer: A SHOW. Where are they?
Best Buy: DVDs are over there. -points-
Customer: No, a SHOW. It's a projector.
Best Buy: TVs are over there. -points-
On the other hand, if you ask for an iMac or Vista, or any other product with a distinctive name, you'll be led right to it with no confusion.
I do have to give them credit, though... 'show projector' brings the right link up in Google as the first hit. How they managed this, I don't know.
Are you seriously asking why the first version of a budget projector is 'only' DVD resolution? Can you not figure that out for yourself?
I found this out this last few days. I was watching movies with a girl (amazing, I know, just hang in there) this last few days and at one point she turns to me and says 'Can't you just watch the movie, instead of picking it apart?' My parents were sitting on the other side of her doing exactly the same thing. (The movie was National Treasure 2, just for reference.)
But then, I've known for years how little fact checking is done for movies and TV. And the plot holes are usually large enough to walk through. But they're just entertainment.
Having said that, I still continue to expect the -News- to be more than entertainment. Every time I see them say something like 'Size A eggs could kill you... Story at 11!' I want to scream. If they are truly that dangerous, should there not be an immediate alert in an attempt to save lives? Nooo... It's just an entertainment piece and an attempt to drive ratings.
Good points, and I'm surprised you weren't modded up.
I have definitely been through the purchase cycles to find out what I want. I have exactly 1 item in my house (that isn't unique, like an Wii) that I got right on the first try. My toaster oven. And if you count my time, I spent the worth of it on the internet doing research before I bought it.
And I definitely agree about the remotes, though I think it should go a step further. I remember a technology a while back that was supposed to let your devices all talk to your TV and just use the 1 remote to control it all. Somehow, that just disappeared. (Patents?) We've now got $400 remotes that -still- can't control all devices. (The PS3's remote is bluetooth, instead of IR, so no universal remotes work.)
Maybe the problem is that you're spending too much money.
Mobile Home - Light switches are all pretty damned obvious as there's only 1 light in each room.
Cheap oven - There aren't many knobs to worry about, and it's pretty easy to remember which is which.
Cheap TV - Only has 0-9 and volume controls on the remote.
Cheap DVD - Only has play/stop/pause and fastforward/rewind, plus a couple of 'menu' buttons to access the menus on the dvd.
Cheap Fridge - Has a dial from 0 to 9 with details on which is coldest.
A lot of your problems don't even stem from lack of design. They come from having too many features.
There are 50 buttons on that remote because the device does SO much stuff. You paid for it, and you'll need a way to control it. Personally, I -use- those buttons, so I don't find them to be annoying.
There are too many light switches in the house because you have so much control over the lighting. Oddly enough, the fix for this probably can actually be -more- technology instead of less. I plan to one day hook up my lights to the computer and control them based on time, where people are in the house, and other factors.
There's a difference between preventing them from breeding and preventing them from purposefully making their unborn child disabled. If the child is born deaf, that's life. If the doctor purposefully chooses that the child will be born deaf, that's child abuse.
Being deaf is -not- an advantage to the child. A hearing child can interract with the family in every way that a deaf child can and more. Last I checked, my parents -wanted- me to do better than them. This is merely an attempt to create a life of pain for the child just to please some whim of the parents.
When that child is old enough to understand that it didn't -have- to be deaf, that its parents decided it would be unlike all the other children on purpose, it will cause a rift in the family that may never be repaired. It will color everything that child does from then on and they will think of all the opportunities their parents stole from them out of selfishness.
While moved from Slackware to Kubuntu for the same reason you did, I think you missed the troll's point:
'Lusers' prefer Ubuntu.
That doesn't mean you or I are lusers, just that if you ask a luser was distro they want, they say 'Ubuntu'. Of course, it also happens that if you ask many professionals the same question, they'll answer the same.
The reason is simple: Ubuntu is fixing all the complaints about Linux distros. Ease of use, painful configuration, etc etc. They're making Linux a joy to use for the non-technical and the technical people are reaping the benefits as well. Every minute that I don't spend in xorg.conf is a minute I spent elsewhere, enjoying what I want to instead.
In short, you responded just as the troll wanted you, too. You took the bait and ran with it and ended up with nothing.
Do not feed the trolls.