Well, we're under the assumption that the government has already outlawed encryption without a backdoor to let them (and anyone else with the key, which will be the entire world) in.
Also consider the power and heat output of SSDs as compared to spinning disks. SSDs tend to have lower power requirements (which adds up very quickly when you're dealing with tens of thousands of machines) and as such tend to put out less heat (meaning the HVACs won't get reamed as hard, and should therefore also use less power). Assuming the reliability is decent, the additional premium per drive will probably pay for itself rather quickly considering the drop in price of operating the system as a result. Let's not forget that SSDs should kick the shit out of rotating platters for database performance with their limited-by-c seek times, which in itself is probably enough reason for Google to make the switch.
And they'll be able to tint their homepages a light green too.
Of course you can be damn sure that Google's crunched the numbers and taken appropriate measures. If not, I'm always open to new career opportunities (contact info at my homepage):)
And I wouldn't have bought one on Verizon as a former Verizon customer who was happy for the excuse to leave them. Not that I like AT&T, but at least they don't charge you to un-gimp their phones because bluetooth somehow costs Verizon $5/month.
However you're absolutely right about the single radio system thing. If they're going to only choose one (and having to figure out compatibility is decidedly un-Apple), you can be damn sure that they're going to go with the global standard, even if the screwball has better signal in some areas.
Unfortunately you'll never be able to hear their congratulatory remarks after finishing the project using that keyboard, as your ear drums will have buckled faster than the springs in the keys.
Well that's just the dilemma. I use Google Analytics on all my sites, and sort of use the information to see what keywords are effective and most common. I don't then turn around and use that information to focus my content on those areas like any smart person would, but I don't really care if someone stumbles across my blog either (much more interesting are HeatMaps, not that I use that information in a meaningful way either).
However, it's not just Google that's grabbing that kind of information. Anyone with a server is probably keeping referrer logs whether they intend to or not, and some people get a chuckle out of the nonsense. I'd suggest the vast majority do nothing. If Google can get that information by providing a valuable service, and then turn around and create value from doing so at no cost to site owners or visitors, more power to them.
Why would they expect random hardware to work with Linux? Probably for the same reason that they'd expect random hardware to work with Windows. The fact that it doesn't work this way is probably Linux's biggest shortcoming - granted, it's not their fault (that largely lies with the proprietary hardware manufacturers), but that doesn't make it any less of a problem.
I certainly don't like Windows and avoid it whenever possible, but it would take a pretty hardcore fanboy to make a claim that not needing to worry about hardware compatibility is a con when using Windows (it's not as if there aren't enough legitimate ones).
Hm... given how much they probably spent on the mission, do you think it would have killed them to spend an additional eleven cents to put the color film in the camera?
(only half-kidding, but it's still an absolutely remarkable feat)
Nobody who's used SSH on their iPhone would claim it to be a good experience. It's nice to be able to get at it for that one bizarre thing that prompted the need for roadside SSH access in the first place, but there's a reason that I don't attempt it every day.
I don't know, maybe the truest of fanboys who just blindly promote Apple products might claim it to be a good idea, but nobody who has actually tried it (such as myself) would say it's something other than a "I'm glad I was able to do it that one time because I really needed to but I hope to never find myself in that situation again" experience.
How many handheld devices really have enough physical keys to make SSH useful to any extent? I agree that the iPhone sucks at it (from firsthand experience as well, though I think you're making it out to be slightly more tedious than it really is), but most of the blackberries and such don't look tremendously better-suited to it. The half-keyboard ones would be completely useless and the full-keyboard ones seem to have buttons EVEN smaller than the virtual ones on the iPhone.
No, not really. I have one of the terminal apps installed on my iPhone and have used it for quickly SSHing in to my home machine. While it works, it becomes incredibly tedious on the virtual keyboard (much more so than normal typing, since autocorrect isn't present and wouldn't pick up on weird bash command names anyways). Yes, I even tried using vi remotely. Again, possible, but not the slightest bit recommended.
I love the benefits of the virtual keyboard for most uses. SSH is most definitely not one of them. The VNC app is much more useful given that touchscreens are much better suited to visual interfaces (and it's surprisingly useful even over EDGE with decent signal strength, enough so that I was able to start a SuperDuper! backup of my system while at a red light on my way to the Leopard launch - no need for the fanboy comments, please - I'm clearly not one of the senseless evangelist types).
You seem to be assuming the rest of the world uses US laws. Stop it.
Please define "you".
I most certainly don't feel that way.
Some higher-up member of the government whose latest political campaign or vacation has been paid for by 'donations' by overzealous copyright-holders (RIAA, MPAA, Disney, etc.) 'cares' and indeed makes these assumptions. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that someone abusing his power feels the same way or even in any vague way represents his constituents.
Hey, I want the "xMac" too. But unless there's a small miracle at WWDC08 in a couple weeks, just start saving for the Mac Pro. It's what I'm doing. Customize it and knock out one of the quad-Xeons and save $500 if you're so inclined - chances are that if you're whining about it being the only option in the same way that I tend to, you won't need it.
However, "perfectly normal" people tend to just want to turn it on, pound out a couple pages in Word or fire off a few emails, and be done with things. TV, not so much, and blu-ray far less so (just spend the money on a PS3 and get blu-ray and gaming done in one). I'll give you the USB ports - it's a major source of irritation on my MBP (TWO on a pro machine? Yeah friggen right), and would be even more of one on an iMac that needs a keyboard and mouse plugged in. PC gamers that want Macs is a relatively small market, but except for the even smaller subset of overclockers who tend to truly be performance-on-a-budget-obsessed (I've been there), the Mac Pro isn't insanely out of reach given the specs it has. My aging PC desktop has a good $500 invested in the cooling alone (German watercooling) and another $250 in the case, and the other hardware probably cost me a good two grand at the time. Of course a lot of it was upgrade piece-by-piece which isn't really an option with the Mac Pro, but that's just not the "Apple Experience" nor will they ever allow that to be the case. Bad for you and me maybe, but we're a very small minority - even if we whine the most.
What I can say with a reasonable amount of happiness is that this kind of focus, even if it ignores what I want, is that it allows them to make what they have the best it can be. I know, RDF alert!, but I've yet to find a case modder or other enthusiast engineer something as sleek as the iMac.
Yes, but vendor lock-in only helps them when they're the vendor. In this case, the vendor is NBC.
In regards to the DRM license server shutdown, I have to assume that there's an ulterior motive to doing so. Given how their own music services have relatively failed in comparison to Apple's, I figure it's to create FUD around FairPlay and other DRM systems in order to force Apple to open up and thereby allow the Zune (and to some extent, the Xbox 360) to play nice with recently-freed content that had been purchased from iTunes.
Agreed. I don't even particularly like my MBP's hardware (as compared to when I was mostly-running OSx86 on a ThinkPad anyways), but the software is so much better than anything else I've used and allows me to get so much more done that it's worth the price premium. Which makes sense, as I'm interacting with the software rather than the hardware.
It's for this reason primarily that OS X will not be licensed for standard hardware any time in the near future - Apple is using their software to sell hardware. Dell and the like are using their own hardware to sell a package that uses software that they largely can't control.
According to l.root-servers.org linked above, the IP change happened on the first of November last year, and only a couple weeks ago was taken offline at the old address. Is six months not enough?
Actually, that brings up an interesting point. TiVo, unlike Microsoft, is currently seeing subscription revenue for their services - they actually have something to lose if they start screwing with their customers. With MS-based media center machines, it's a one-off license deal as far as I'm aware - though I expect a company the size of Microsoft is forward-thinking enough to realize that pissing off people who paid once isn't a great way to get them to pay again, especially with what people are saying about Vista.
It really makes you wonder what MS had to gain by doing this. Were they paid? Was it some sort of weird deal to get content providers annoyed at everyone BUT MS for not respecting the broadcast flag thus far? Why is a multi-billion dollar company bending over and taking it from tripe like American Gladiators?
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Well, we're under the assumption that the government has already outlawed encryption without a backdoor to let them (and anyone else with the key, which will be the entire world) in.
I'll let you draw your own conclusion.
A new pair of running shoes?
I think that ISO might just be the standard, not just the standards-deciding body. (Hint: also joke, we know that avi is the real standard)
Why would you pay software licenses for XP and VMWare or Parallels for the sole purpose of doing what this box does at half the cost?
That works great the first time, and might be a viable catch-up strategy. What happens for the next die shrink?
Also consider the power and heat output of SSDs as compared to spinning disks. SSDs tend to have lower power requirements (which adds up very quickly when you're dealing with tens of thousands of machines) and as such tend to put out less heat (meaning the HVACs won't get reamed as hard, and should therefore also use less power). Assuming the reliability is decent, the additional premium per drive will probably pay for itself rather quickly considering the drop in price of operating the system as a result. Let's not forget that SSDs should kick the shit out of rotating platters for database performance with their limited-by-c seek times, which in itself is probably enough reason for Google to make the switch.
:)
And they'll be able to tint their homepages a light green too.
Of course you can be damn sure that Google's crunched the numbers and taken appropriate measures. If not, I'm always open to new career opportunities (contact info at my homepage)
What about bunnies with boobies?
And I wouldn't have bought one on Verizon as a former Verizon customer who was happy for the excuse to leave them. Not that I like AT&T, but at least they don't charge you to un-gimp their phones because bluetooth somehow costs Verizon $5/month.
However you're absolutely right about the single radio system thing. If they're going to only choose one (and having to figure out compatibility is decidedly un-Apple), you can be damn sure that they're going to go with the global standard, even if the screwball has better signal in some areas.
And this is why God invented comments.
Unfortunately you'll never be able to hear their congratulatory remarks after finishing the project using that keyboard, as your ear drums will have buckled faster than the springs in the keys.
Indeed. Now just do it 100,000 more times and you'll be fighting the man with the soap.
Well that's just the dilemma. I use Google Analytics on all my sites, and sort of use the information to see what keywords are effective and most common. I don't then turn around and use that information to focus my content on those areas like any smart person would, but I don't really care if someone stumbles across my blog either (much more interesting are HeatMaps, not that I use that information in a meaningful way either).
However, it's not just Google that's grabbing that kind of information. Anyone with a server is probably keeping referrer logs whether they intend to or not, and some people get a chuckle out of the nonsense. I'd suggest the vast majority do nothing. If Google can get that information by providing a valuable service, and then turn around and create value from doing so at no cost to site owners or visitors, more power to them.
Why would they expect random hardware to work with Linux? Probably for the same reason that they'd expect random hardware to work with Windows. The fact that it doesn't work this way is probably Linux's biggest shortcoming - granted, it's not their fault (that largely lies with the proprietary hardware manufacturers), but that doesn't make it any less of a problem.
I certainly don't like Windows and avoid it whenever possible, but it would take a pretty hardcore fanboy to make a claim that not needing to worry about hardware compatibility is a con when using Windows (it's not as if there aren't enough legitimate ones).
Hm... given how much they probably spent on the mission, do you think it would have killed them to spend an additional eleven cents to put the color film in the camera?
(only half-kidding, but it's still an absolutely remarkable feat)
Nobody who's used SSH on their iPhone would claim it to be a good experience. It's nice to be able to get at it for that one bizarre thing that prompted the need for roadside SSH access in the first place, but there's a reason that I don't attempt it every day.
I don't know, maybe the truest of fanboys who just blindly promote Apple products might claim it to be a good idea, but nobody who has actually tried it (such as myself) would say it's something other than a "I'm glad I was able to do it that one time because I really needed to but I hope to never find myself in that situation again" experience.
How many handheld devices really have enough physical keys to make SSH useful to any extent? I agree that the iPhone sucks at it (from firsthand experience as well, though I think you're making it out to be slightly more tedious than it really is), but most of the blackberries and such don't look tremendously better-suited to it. The half-keyboard ones would be completely useless and the full-keyboard ones seem to have buttons EVEN smaller than the virtual ones on the iPhone.
No, not really. I have one of the terminal apps installed on my iPhone and have used it for quickly SSHing in to my home machine. While it works, it becomes incredibly tedious on the virtual keyboard (much more so than normal typing, since autocorrect isn't present and wouldn't pick up on weird bash command names anyways). Yes, I even tried using vi remotely. Again, possible, but not the slightest bit recommended.
I love the benefits of the virtual keyboard for most uses. SSH is most definitely not one of them. The VNC app is much more useful given that touchscreens are much better suited to visual interfaces (and it's surprisingly useful even over EDGE with decent signal strength, enough so that I was able to start a SuperDuper! backup of my system while at a red light on my way to the Leopard launch - no need for the fanboy comments, please - I'm clearly not one of the senseless evangelist types).
Well regardless of the reasoning at your end, they claim to do this for environmental reasons so the couple cents is doing exactly what it should.
http://www.handdrawngames.com/ should fix that.
Please define "you".
I most certainly don't feel that way.
Some higher-up member of the government whose latest political campaign or vacation has been paid for by 'donations' by overzealous copyright-holders (RIAA, MPAA, Disney, etc.) 'cares' and indeed makes these assumptions. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that someone abusing his power feels the same way or even in any vague way represents his constituents.
Hey, I want the "xMac" too. But unless there's a small miracle at WWDC08 in a couple weeks, just start saving for the Mac Pro. It's what I'm doing. Customize it and knock out one of the quad-Xeons and save $500 if you're so inclined - chances are that if you're whining about it being the only option in the same way that I tend to, you won't need it.
However, "perfectly normal" people tend to just want to turn it on, pound out a couple pages in Word or fire off a few emails, and be done with things. TV, not so much, and blu-ray far less so (just spend the money on a PS3 and get blu-ray and gaming done in one). I'll give you the USB ports - it's a major source of irritation on my MBP (TWO on a pro machine? Yeah friggen right), and would be even more of one on an iMac that needs a keyboard and mouse plugged in. PC gamers that want Macs is a relatively small market, but except for the even smaller subset of overclockers who tend to truly be performance-on-a-budget-obsessed (I've been there), the Mac Pro isn't insanely out of reach given the specs it has. My aging PC desktop has a good $500 invested in the cooling alone (German watercooling) and another $250 in the case, and the other hardware probably cost me a good two grand at the time. Of course a lot of it was upgrade piece-by-piece which isn't really an option with the Mac Pro, but that's just not the "Apple Experience" nor will they ever allow that to be the case. Bad for you and me maybe, but we're a very small minority - even if we whine the most.
What I can say with a reasonable amount of happiness is that this kind of focus, even if it ignores what I want, is that it allows them to make what they have the best it can be. I know, RDF alert!, but I've yet to find a case modder or other enthusiast engineer something as sleek as the iMac.
Yes, but vendor lock-in only helps them when they're the vendor. In this case, the vendor is NBC.
In regards to the DRM license server shutdown, I have to assume that there's an ulterior motive to doing so. Given how their own music services have relatively failed in comparison to Apple's, I figure it's to create FUD around FairPlay and other DRM systems in order to force Apple to open up and thereby allow the Zune (and to some extent, the Xbox 360) to play nice with recently-freed content that had been purchased from iTunes.
Agreed. I don't even particularly like my MBP's hardware (as compared to when I was mostly-running OSx86 on a ThinkPad anyways), but the software is so much better than anything else I've used and allows me to get so much more done that it's worth the price premium. Which makes sense, as I'm interacting with the software rather than the hardware.
It's for this reason primarily that OS X will not be licensed for standard hardware any time in the near future - Apple is using their software to sell hardware. Dell and the like are using their own hardware to sell a package that uses software that they largely can't control.
According to l.root-servers.org linked above, the IP change happened on the first of November last year, and only a couple weeks ago was taken offline at the old address. Is six months not enough?
Actually, that brings up an interesting point. TiVo, unlike Microsoft, is currently seeing subscription revenue for their services - they actually have something to lose if they start screwing with their customers. With MS-based media center machines, it's a one-off license deal as far as I'm aware - though I expect a company the size of Microsoft is forward-thinking enough to realize that pissing off people who paid once isn't a great way to get them to pay again, especially with what people are saying about Vista.
It really makes you wonder what MS had to gain by doing this. Were they paid? Was it some sort of weird deal to get content providers annoyed at everyone BUT MS for not respecting the broadcast flag thus far? Why is a multi-billion dollar company bending over and taking it from tripe like American Gladiators?