Note: Both the OS/2 and Win32 versions are in the single download file... It unzips to an OS2 and W32 directory... just get rid of whichever version u dont need...
I still use Z! (or CWMM) on eCS & Warp to play my MP3's... it is wonderful, and if Dink did his job on the Win version well enough, just as nice on Windows...
For those of you wanting a very quick, very small MP3 player (with stream support, OGG plugin support and more) check on Z! (http://dink.org/z/) - it s a great app. It doesnt come with a fancy GUI (though that should be easily writable even under Windows, as there are TONS of extensions and GUIs floating around for Warp for Z) though it does come with a great, easy to use text based, mouse enabled GUI, is tiny, fast and works amazingly well.
Also, I'm not sure if I'm interpreting those screenshots correctly (I don't use Windows so I'm not too familiar with its monitoring tools) but if 100% in that graph corresponds to 1 Gb/s transfer speed, then the speed drops from 32 megabyte to a still very respectable 16 megabyte per second. People seem to suggest that networking grinds to a halt when playing audio, but although this drop is very significant, it by no means renders your network connection unusably slow. In fact, it's still pretty damn fast.
I'm sorry, but you aren't making any sense whatsoever. If I buy a racecar that I use on Sundays at the track, and turning on the radio decreases it's top speed from 200mph down to 100mph, is that OK because that is "still pretty damn fast"? If I book a flight that should take 10 hours but whenever the stewardess serves food or beverages, it decreases the plane speed so that the flight takes 20 hours instead, travelling at only 300mph, is that ok because it is "still pretty damn fast"?
If I am running an internal network, where data transfer speeds are critical to the work I am doing and playing MP3s decreases that speed by 50% (assuming it is the 50% you are claiming the article says and not 85-90%) is that ok because it is "still pretty damn fast"?
I have been playing MP3s on systems as old as 486's (which used a whopping 10% CPU - with NO network degradation) - there is NO load on today's system when playing an MP3 - except through poor design - or worse yet, intent - so there is no reason why network speeds should drop AT ALL - much less 50%, 85%, 90% or whatever. As others have noted in other threads on/. and elsewhere, such bottlenecks of late all seem to be due to DRM related issues in Vista... I wouldnt doubt a similar issue is the cause here - and the reason why Microsoft is (properly for once) stating that some of this issue is actually due to design.
The fact is, on today's multi GHz, multi-core systems, a 10% drop in network performance would be outrageous for something as simple as playing an MP3 or other audio stream... 50% is ludicrous... and I can't even think of a word to describe what an 85-90% drop would constitute.
Yes, when it comes to the Internet world, even a 90% drop in network performance on a gigabit network card doesnt really mean anything for most people - such an attitude misses many still valid points and issues, such as there are numerous users who don't have that Internet bottleneck to make such slowed down connection speeds a moot point (college students for one, businesses with dedicated high speed lines for another) - there are also users of every sort who have home networks set up who WILL see the degradation in speed since they are not limited by their Internet Connection Speed (businesses, home users, gamers doing LAN parties, you name it) - and most importantly, there is no VALID technical reason why playing any audio stream should degrade network performance on today's hardware.
That last point brings up the final issue. It really does not matter if MS claims there are valid design reasons or valid technical reasons for the drop in network performance (whether 10%, 50%, 85%, 90%, whatever) - because as far as the features end users want, there is NOT - and the only "features" I can think of that would cause this are DRM related technologies so liberally sprinkled all over Vista. Any other reason is quite simply poor coding and design... and as MS didnt write, and has barely changed any of the networking stuff in Windows in quite some time, I think it is more of an issue of "features" that no one wants, may be illegal (under the fair use doctrine) and should never have been dumped into Vista to begin with.
People seem to suggest that networking grinds to a halt when playing audio, but although this drop is very significant, it by no means renders your network connection unusably slow. In fact, it's still prett
Give the mushroom a push and it leans towards the source electrode where electrons tunnel across into the mushroom head. The DC field exerts a force on this extra charge on the 'shroom, pushing it towards the drain electrode where the electrons jump ship. The force disappears and the mushroom's stiffness sends it swinging back to the source again like metronome, and the process starts again.
The stiffness/weight/pressure/whatever is the constant force. The (constant) DC field works in conjunction with the charge on the mushroom head pulling it to the drain electrode - which drains the charge - and then the (constant) stiffness/weight/etc pulls it back to the source electrode where the mushroom head gets "re-charged" - thus starting the whole process all over again...
There are numerous reasons why such devices are near useless in many localities. Here's a couple simple ones.
- Some pipes/conduits are very old and even if their location was recorded properly (50, 60, 100 years ago), their referentials are no longer in the same place (for instance, pipe, 30' North off-center of road - for a road surface that has changed during that time due to simple things, like over-paving an edge by a few feet, or no curb/curb-line causing each subsequent re-pave to change the road dimensions).
- During installation (of newer or older pipes), the pipes dont go in exactly the place indicated in the drawings (due to numerous factors, including assembled lengths of pipes and T's being different than plan lengths, trenches that weren't dug to 100% match the plans, etc).
Keep in mind, even with every plan for every pipe ever put in a municipality, unless someone is "GPS-Tagging" every one of those pipes when installed, the plans are at best somewhat accurate, and at worst, a vague idea of where the pipes actually are.
In addition, since multiple utility services often run side by side in many municipalities, a "clear digging zone" may only be a few feet wide - which can easily overlap the margin of error for (a) the actual installation or (b) the accuracy of many year old plans.
Of course, then there's the installers taking "shortcuts" during the original utility installs because of such things as rocks under soil that would require more equipment than they have to remove (thus forcing a route change that doesnt get updated to the master plans), an easier route to a house/complex than what was planned (that doesnt get updated to the master plans), etc.
Yes, I know all of that should and can be resolved with proper record keeping and updating... so let's not quibble over that - because that's not my point. My point is, even if every pipe or wire or cable laid now is accurately mapped out, that still leaves cables, wires and pipes that can be over 100 years old that aren't. Quite a simple cause for errors - regardless of the caution used by contractors digging now and in the future...
They make wireless adapters I think. I had seen them a while back on some gadget sites. Should be pretty easy to make work with one of those keyboards in one fashion or another... there are Dual PS/2 (keyboard & mouse) and Single USB (for both keyboard and mouse) versions of various TrackPoint keyboards. A search on Google or eBay should find you something... I am guessing the device isnt that big...
Actually, it goes even further than this... if you look at the Wiki page, you will notice a scary trend that the general populace (that was so concerned in days gone about breaking up "Ma Bell") has missed.
Namely, Verizon/ATT/___Bell/Ameritech/SBC/ConTel/ManyMore are all pretty much two (one) big conglomerates once again. Many are subsidiaries of the other or have controlling interests in each other.
For instance, with this one as an example (ATT Mobility), they WERE wholly owned by SBC/ATT and BellSouth... until ATT merged/bought back BellSouth (and Ameritech, and Pacific Telesis, and Southern New England Telecommunications. Verizon and the other Bell "subsidiaries" own pretty much most of the rest...
All that really leaves is the re-merger of ATT & Verizon and the large majority of phone services (land and cellular) will once again be all Ma Bell.
Actually, lets say that your business provides your phone. Though the data provided isnt exactly very detailed in the TYPE of data you are sending/receiving, it indicates data usage. Inotherwords, your employer has a very good idea of how much time you waste surfing the web/msging/etc during company time.
While your response is technically accurate, the fact remains that IIS' use of those threads and memory spaces is abysmal. If IIS was coded well, or the threading engine/scheduler in WinAnything was decent, then your statement would be valid. If MS fixes this, then your statement would be valid. Real world tests dispute the technical matters you indicate (which SHOULD be an accurate portrayal of IIS/.NET capabilities, but arent).
Due to/in addition to the lack of information on what NetCraft's data represents, I would speculate a number of factors, each leading into the other.
IIS on the same hardware cannot host as many sites as Apache
With an increase in the number of servers out there, it is likely that as companies try IIS7 - and thus implement more servers than a similar (hardware based) Apache setup would require, this further drives up the number
With numerous companies switching to Apache, it only makes sense to consolidate multiple IIS servers into one (or a lesser number of) Apache server
(part of previous point) Many companies using Apache are realizing that since Apache can handle greater multi-homed traffic, and greater connection/TCPIP traffic, I would also presume they are consolidating servers - why run extra hardware when you dont need to?
Of course, all that is speculation - based on some sort of representative accuracy to NetCraft's numbers. And either way, this rather trivial gain is not indicative of "Microsoft's recent gains raise the prospect that Windows may soon challenge Apache's leadership position."
Or hopefully this means that the DOE is (using this machine for) concentrating on things that are applicable to the private sector such as Global Warming, the environment, climate, etc, for which a collaboration with the NSF would make sense.
If the government was interested in a machine from a company who has consistently shown it knows how to build these things, then who else would they choose?
IBM has consistently dominated the fastest supercomputer list:
http://www.top500.org/
And as for it's location... why would the government want to keep putting all their eggs in the same basket? Also, it's not like you need a keyboard and mouse and operator directly attached to this machine... so housing it elsewhere in a facility that can house it makes sense.
Sounds more like a bunch of people grumbling that they arent going to have access to what they thought would be their newest toy. In addition, it indicates possible collaboration between the DOE and NSA which should only be a good thing.
I have definitely found that the non-IBM TrackPoint (clones) are not nearly as good as the IBMs. I am not sure who/what FSR is/refers to, but that is who/where/what UniComp claims to have gotten the TrackPoint technology ("Integrated Pointing Stick using FSR technology").
The only thing I dont like about some of the M13s is as they approach a decade of use, the sticks seem to drift a bit... pulling the keyboard apart, cleaning it, and sometimes re-gluing the stick seem to help.
I do have a Model M13 that has a failed stick (jumps to the right and stays there... tons of pressure will get it to move - releasing the pressure makes it jump back to the right)... I am hoping the cleaning/re-gluing method works.
I also have one M13 that some idiot (dont want to mention my.... err... any names) left on the back deck of his car... the outer casing warped nicely... need to replace that casing - or maybe canabalize it for the black M13 with the "broken" TrackPoint.
Agreed... though the inertial features of a TrackPoint II are fine for me... with a little bit of settings tweaking (on Windows... OS/2 and eCS seem to need none), it performs almost as well. Though the lack of a middle mouse button does kinda suck (though I can configure a both button down as a 3rd button click on eCS and OS/2 - I am presuming Windows MUST have a similar feature by now - and if not, the TrackPoint II drivers for Windows should).
I never understood why there wasnt a third button added to the M13s. My ThinkPad 600 (which is slightly older than this Model M13) has all three buttons and the newer TrackPoint (I think III).
I wonder if the trackstick can be swapped from a III into the M13...
Thanks for the tip about the UniComp knockoffs... I guess I will stick to eBay for my M13s and get the real thing. It's a shame though that the black ones (which are the ones I am trying to get to match all my machines) seem to run a LOT more than the beige ones... still trying to buy some of the ancient grey industrial ones... (dunno what could be more industrial about a Model M/M13... but it is a neat color... kinda grey, kinda olive green/grey).
There are some wonderful mods out there as well - for the M and M13 (as they apply to both since they are near identical in internal and external layouts)... including backlit keys, ancient round button Selectric style mods, and more... one day when I have a few extra keyboards again, I think I will try a few of the mods... I definitely plan on embedding a black one into my server rack one day as part of the display/control unit... dual touchscreens and keyboard in plexi... one day...
Robert
Loving my One True Keyboards - and never giving them up!
There is actually a company that licensed the design from IBM and makes them - with and without Windows Keys (none for me thanks), and standard IBM click - or - mushy, crappy, gonna fail in a few years membrane. Havent tried them, but people claim they (the clicky ones) are as durable and well designed as the Mfg'd by Lexmark IBM Model M's (which is to say, slightly less durable, but still damn near indestructible). ( http://pckeyboard.com/ ) On a funny but very entirely true story (stories actually), I actually put that indestructible-ness to the test.
Back in 86 I worked for Valcom Computer (prolly never heard of them unless you were big into buying IBM's in the mid 80's). People would come in and ask "Why is the IBM keyboard $100 and the others $10-40?" So, I'd unplug an IBM from one of our computers, put it on the floor (tossing it tends to pop the overcaps on the keys), and then proceed to step on it, bounce up and down on it, etc... pick it back up and ask "If this was your cheap little $40 keyboard, would you want to plug it back in now and hope you didnt fry your keyboard controller or at the very least hope it still worked?" - then plug the beast back in and load the keyboard test and hit every key.
A number of years later, at a different job, after doing something similar with coworkers, we decided to see just how indestructible they were... so, after (obviously) passing the stop on it test, we took it out back and parked an Isuzu Trooper on it... then hit the gas... they keyboard went flying across the asphalt about 30 feet... was scuffed on the bottom, and of course worked fine. By that time, we were getting kinda desparate in our attempts to destroy it under something that resembled normal use, and were standing in the front of the stoor - where we saw a city bus stop at the corner (our storefront was 2 doors down from the light)... we ran out, put the Model M right in front of the big back wheels, and waited... the bus slowly crawled up (like people tend to do while waiting for a light) which put the wheel right on top of the keyboard. Finally the light changed, the bus took off, we ran out, grabbed the keyboard, waved to the guy behind the bus who was watching us with a mixture of amusement and "I think they are crazy" look on his face, and plugged it in...
So, having passed that test (yes, of course it still worked - it was only a city bus)... we decided to go upstairs and launch it off the roof (3 story drop). We threw it as far outward as possible adding to the distance travelled considerably. The keyboard must have went in total 150 feet between it's downward drop of 3 stories and the distance we launched it horizontally.
The ancient Model M's casing cracked or split in a number of places, the keycaps flew everywhere, it looked horrendous - but STILL worked.
We took a blowtorch (propane pipe welding torch like what a plumber uses) and took that to the outer casing... the weird stuff they use kinda smoldered on the outside, turning brown and black, but didnt burn through. Looked more like a bad scare from a surface burn on a human (like a cigarette burn).
Finally, we "destroyed" it with a sledge hammer. Mostly though, the hammer just ended up crushing the round key holders that rise up from the inner plastic cover - and probably a few of the keyswitches.
Neat thing is it was still easily fixable since we could have just replaced the inner and upper cover and a few keyswitches and been done (for far cheaper than a new Model M)... but we had a couple dozen at the time, so it didnt really matter and we just kept it as a conversation piece. Somewhere I have shards of the outer casing still...
Years and years ago, I gave my mom one of them... (Model M) ancient one, metal IBM logo and all... she still uses it and refuses to give it up - begging, offering to buy it, whatever... doesnt work.
And me, I have 2 Model M-13s, and slowly acquiring more... and will keep them till they die (if I dont die of old age first)... my M/M13 keyboards have outlasted every computer I have had - and will continue to do so.
Trackpoint? You must be joking!!!! Over a mouse or trackball - or trackpad?
Just teasing.
My favorite is definitely an IBM TrackPoint (or the true IBM TrackPoints in non IBM/Lenovo products - some of the clones seem too jumpy and too low resolution): I think it is wonderful to never have to move my hands from their typing position - easier on the hands, wrist and fingers. My thumbs are always hovering over the mouse button (and spacebar) area anyway, and my right pointer finger is always right next to or over the trackpoint.
I've found it is great for many gaming applications too... since they are pressure sensitive, it is easy to go from a crawl to a run with just minor change in finger pressure.
The thing I've found about TrackPoints though, is most people seem to hate them for about a month... and then don't want anything but a TrackPoint (if they make it through that month). They are kinda odd to get used to at first, but after that, they are wonderful.
(a not too close) Second is a TrackBall Preferrably a big Kensington - I dont like the small ones, and usually prefer a mouse over them. The Kensingtons (even today) seem to be better built than the other manufacturers' large ones as well.
Third would be a good lasermouse
It's a mouse... it's laser instead of a "clean the ball and roller assys every couple months"... it works... but unlike my first and second choice, still requires the greater hand and arm movement... "ooops, pick it up and move it back to the center of the mouse pad/area" - which I don't like (highly dislike after years of using a TrackPoint and TrackBall).
Fiftieth would be a TrackPad Yep, fiftieth, or maybe number 100 on my list... or lower even. Not fond of "Oooops, I just clicked on something... wherever the mouse happened to be... because my palm/hand hit the mouse button" or "Damn it, I just moved the mouse from where I wanted because my palm hit the trackpad surface" or the "How much pressure is a click, and how much just moves the thing?"
I always disable the press to click feature when I am forced to use a TrackPad as the sensitivity setting only works great if you happen to be just as awake, and just as happy/angry as the last time you adjusted it. Of course, using mostly IBM Model M and Model M-13 keyboards has kinda spoiled me (especially the M-13 - which is the Model M with built in TrackPoint)... as when I am frustrated (as every programmer gets from time to time - or every Windows users, and a lot of users of other OSes) I tend to take it out on my near indestructible keyboard - whether it's just hitting the damn buttons really hard, or on occassion pounding on the keyboard with my fist... so I am in the habit of varying my hand and figure pressure... and in addition, because of both the tactile and audible feedback; the amount of pressure I use doesn't matter as long as I feel that sudden lack of pressure as the key bottoms, and hear the click down and then the click up when I release. Of course on a non IBM M Series, I never pound on the keyboard... not fond of replacing keyboards, but my finger pressure is still not constant due to years of habit.
So, my overall favorite input device is: An IBM Model M13 Keyboard/TrackPoint combo... I have a beige and a black one, which even after well over a decade, and a LOT of abuse, keep on running. Followed by an IBM Model M (some of the ones I use are original series over 20 years old - and still good as new) with a (Kensington) TrackBall... Third being the Model M and a LaserMouse... Fourth being punch cards, Fifth being scan cards, sixth being.... and 100th being TrackPads.
My Model M-13 that I am typing on now was born on Feb 12th, 1997 (yeah, they all have "Dates of Birth" on them... every single one that still has it's original labelling). Computers may be disposable, but my Model M-13 is NOT! Ever!
The One True Keyboard - The IBM Model M - Entire Websites devoted to it in all it's incarnations
"In a just-published Microsoft patent application for an Advertising Services Architecture, which delivers targeted advertising as 'part of the OS.' Microsoft, who once teamed with law enforcement to protect consumers from unwanted advertising, goes on to boast that the invention can 'take steps to verify ad consumption,' be used to block ads from competitors,
-> AND EVEN sneak a peek at 'user document files, user e-mail files, user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, [and] computer status messages' to deliver more tightly targeted ads."
"I would stress that we get this information anonymously, and there is no use of personally identifiable information, such as name or e-mail address, in the product," Ian Thomas from MS's Digital Advertising Solutions Group wrote.
which means what? That the current plans involved NOT getting the information anonymously? That he is recommending they change that plan? Neat huh? He's not saying that he will be getting the information anonymously - but stressing that he thinks they should.
Of course, then there's a matter of semantics involved in that statement... is he saying that the information aggregated should be unable to specify a particular person - or is he saying that the collecting of such data should be done in a way that is "anonymous", transparent and undetectable to the end user? Kind of like an anonymous tip? The person being tipped off doesnt know they were even being watched, much less reported to others? Hmmm....
Either way, with the methods they are using (from their databases that contain way too much information on a lot of web surfers), this smells of a really rotten idea - especially with MS's track record (in anything).
(1) IE already "reports" back your search results for any URL you type in without "http://" (and according to some rumors/posts, IE7 does this with ALL URLs to verify the site isnt a phishing site).
(2) With their LiveID information (which can easily be tied to the above mentioned browsing habits via IE - as well as Vista's reporting to home tools), they have a decent amount of information on you to tie to your "browsing habits"
(3) EVERY MS Internet property states in the EULA that they have the right to use ANY content you send/upload/store on their service - and share with their "partners" as well - and sell for that matter.
(4) Combine all of these, and MS isn't doing web analytics in the fashion the term already means. They are simply logging ALL of your (IE) surfing habits, tying that to the identifiable information they already have on file for you (assuming you have a Dead-ID account - and possibly even if you dont - if you've activated/registered their software), and scanning your uploaded/stored/sent documents (emails, stuff on any other MS property) to collect information and then sell it to their advertising "partners".
(5) If it weren't for their EULA, this would not be legal. Of course, who is to say that their EULA is legal anyway? I still want to see that be dragged through court.
Normally web analytics does not include parsing your private information (in emails, posts, ALL surfing habits, etc), and using your (given thinking it would be safe) personally identifiable information (via Live-ID, Vista registration, etc) to provide services to others for the purposes of marketing and/or spamming. Unfortunately, the term still applies as it is a form of web-analytics... just in the worst, privacy violating way.
The real thing that should be debated here is how to prevent this - not whether or not their software/service will be good or not. Frankly, with all the information they are privy to, it is hard to see how even MS could mess this up - so that all is a moot point.
The potential for "private" information being used to (a) profile you, (b) make money off of you (by selling that info to someone else you dont want to have it), and/or (c) spam to you in the most personal way (considering they know far more about "you" via your surfing habits) - that's the scary part that should be discussed here.
The screen shots clearly dont show anything. (Vista/XP/Whatever)
Presumably, (as I have done, but NOT using XP as the router/NAT device), the XP box would be his gateway, and he is connecting to it using Remote DeskCrap via the Vista machine.
That's assuming the screenshots actually are showing an XP and Vista machine - or a Vista and XP machine - or two XP machines - or two Vista machines.
There are a (growing) number of add-ons for XP to make it look virtually identical to Vista... and Vista can also OOB be made to look like XP. The XP machine we have here looks like Vista...
The lack of pertinent data is the biggest point making this seem like BS...
The fact that his site - or the site he is hosting on, is displaying an ad, in such a great place, for software to scan for such things, makes me think this whole thing is more of an ad to lure the unenlightened public and conspiracy theorists into buying their software...
Snippet of the site, including the ad (which shows up on the site in a box, in the middle of the article, with a link to buy the software - that oddly he didnt use for his very own little tests...
...I'm getting to that.
See how your network really works!
Eve 3D Network Surveillance by Whitedust Labs
After installing all of my usual apps on Vista I was impressed to see most everything was 100% backward compatible. I expected much of my...
Sorry dwm, but I disagree with this as noted below:
No. The relevant part of the fifth amendment states:...nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Blocking the use of property is not legally the same as depriving someone of it (although, admittedly, practically-speaking it comes pretty close). If this were a violation of the fifth amendment, so would the IRS putting a lien on someone's property for tax purposes.
"Blocking" said use of property is pretty much the same thing... unless of course you think that said property will be magically released before damage to the owner('s life, liberty) occurs.
The "definition" Bush('s writers) are using is:
are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in
Which pretty much means "Seized" - and either way is the same as depriving someone the use of.
Of course, either way, you are forgetting one of the most relevant parts in that Amendment - though you did quote that part:
without due process of law
This is the other part of the Amendment that is being "violated" - which you neglected to point out while defending this action as Constitutional.
Sorry that I beg to differ with you. Semantics dont make something right (your claim of this being constitutional) - and the 2nd part of this is quite semantically undisputable (the lack of due process).
Slashdot Mirror
Note: Both the OS/2 and Win32 versions are in the single download file... It unzips to an OS2 and W32 directory... just get rid of whichever version u dont need...
Hi Richard...
I still use Z! (or CWMM) on eCS & Warp to play my MP3's... it is wonderful, and if Dink did his job on the Win version well enough, just as nice on Windows...
For those of you wanting a very quick, very small MP3 player (with stream support, OGG plugin support and more) check on Z! (http://dink.org/z/) - it s a great app. It doesnt come with a fancy GUI (though that should be easily writable even under Windows, as there are TONS of extensions and GUIs floating around for Warp for Z) though it does come with a great, easy to use text based, mouse enabled GUI, is tiny, fast and works amazingly well.
-Robert
Also, I'm not sure if I'm interpreting those screenshots correctly (I don't use Windows so I'm not too familiar with its monitoring tools) but if 100% in that graph corresponds to 1 Gb/s transfer speed, then the speed drops from 32 megabyte to a still very respectable 16 megabyte per second. People seem to suggest that networking grinds to a halt when playing audio, but although this drop is very significant, it by no means renders your network connection unusably slow. In fact, it's still pretty damn fast.
I'm sorry, but you aren't making any sense whatsoever. If I buy a racecar that I use on Sundays at the track, and turning on the radio decreases it's top speed from 200mph down to 100mph, is that OK because that is "still pretty damn fast"? If I book a flight that should take 10 hours but whenever the stewardess serves food or beverages, it decreases the plane speed so that the flight takes 20 hours instead, travelling at only 300mph, is that ok because it is "still pretty damn fast"?
If I am running an internal network, where data transfer speeds are critical to the work I am doing and playing MP3s decreases that speed by 50% (assuming it is the 50% you are claiming the article says and not 85-90%) is that ok because it is "still pretty damn fast"?
I have been playing MP3s on systems as old as 486's (which used a whopping 10% CPU - with NO network degradation) - there is NO load on today's system when playing an MP3 - except through poor design - or worse yet, intent - so there is no reason why network speeds should drop AT ALL - much less 50%, 85%, 90% or whatever. As others have noted in other threads on /. and elsewhere, such bottlenecks of late all seem to be due to DRM related issues in Vista... I wouldnt doubt a similar issue is the cause here - and the reason why Microsoft is (properly for once) stating that some of this issue is actually due to design.
The fact is, on today's multi GHz, multi-core systems, a 10% drop in network performance would be outrageous for something as simple as playing an MP3 or other audio stream... 50% is ludicrous... and I can't even think of a word to describe what an 85-90% drop would constitute.
Yes, when it comes to the Internet world, even a 90% drop in network performance on a gigabit network card doesnt really mean anything for most people - such an attitude misses many still valid points and issues, such as there are numerous users who don't have that Internet bottleneck to make such slowed down connection speeds a moot point (college students for one, businesses with dedicated high speed lines for another) - there are also users of every sort who have home networks set up who WILL see the degradation in speed since they are not limited by their Internet Connection Speed (businesses, home users, gamers doing LAN parties, you name it) - and most importantly, there is no VALID technical reason why playing any audio stream should degrade network performance on today's hardware.
That last point brings up the final issue. It really does not matter if MS claims there are valid design reasons or valid technical reasons for the drop in network performance (whether 10%, 50%, 85%, 90%, whatever) - because as far as the features end users want, there is NOT - and the only "features" I can think of that would cause this are DRM related technologies so liberally sprinkled all over Vista. Any other reason is quite simply poor coding and design... and as MS didnt write, and has barely changed any of the networking stuff in Windows in quite some time, I think it is more of an issue of "features" that no one wants, may be illegal (under the fair use doctrine) and should never have been dumped into Vista to begin with.
People seem to suggest that networking grinds to a halt when playing audio, but although this drop is very significant, it by no means renders your network connection unusably slow. In fact, it's still prett
You are mis-reading the article...
Give the mushroom a push and it leans towards the source electrode where electrons tunnel across into the mushroom head. The DC field exerts a force on this extra charge on the 'shroom, pushing it towards the drain electrode where the electrons jump ship. The force disappears and the mushroom's stiffness sends it swinging back to the source again like metronome, and the process starts again.The stiffness/weight/pressure/whatever is the constant force. The (constant) DC field works in conjunction with the charge on the mushroom head pulling it to the drain electrode - which drains the charge - and then the (constant) stiffness/weight/etc pulls it back to the source electrode where the mushroom head gets "re-charged" - thus starting the whole process all over again...
There are numerous reasons why such devices are near useless in many localities. Here's a couple simple ones.
- Some pipes/conduits are very old and even if their location was recorded properly (50, 60, 100 years ago), their referentials are no longer in the same place (for instance, pipe, 30' North off-center of road - for a road surface that has changed during that time due to simple things, like over-paving an edge by a few feet, or no curb/curb-line causing each subsequent re-pave to change the road dimensions).
- During installation (of newer or older pipes), the pipes dont go in exactly the place indicated in the drawings (due to numerous factors, including assembled lengths of pipes and T's being different than plan lengths, trenches that weren't dug to 100% match the plans, etc).
Keep in mind, even with every plan for every pipe ever put in a municipality, unless someone is "GPS-Tagging" every one of those pipes when installed, the plans are at best somewhat accurate, and at worst, a vague idea of where the pipes actually are.
In addition, since multiple utility services often run side by side in many municipalities, a "clear digging zone" may only be a few feet wide - which can easily overlap the margin of error for (a) the actual installation or (b) the accuracy of many year old plans.
Of course, then there's the installers taking "shortcuts" during the original utility installs because of such things as rocks under soil that would require more equipment than they have to remove (thus forcing a route change that doesnt get updated to the master plans), an easier route to a house/complex than what was planned (that doesnt get updated to the master plans), etc.
Yes, I know all of that should and can be resolved with proper record keeping and updating... so let's not quibble over that - because that's not my point. My point is, even if every pipe or wire or cable laid now is accurately mapped out, that still leaves cables, wires and pipes that can be over 100 years old that aren't. Quite a simple cause for errors - regardless of the caution used by contractors digging now and in the future...
They make wireless adapters I think. I had seen them a while back on some gadget sites. Should be pretty easy to make work with one of those keyboards in one fashion or another... there are Dual PS/2 (keyboard & mouse) and Single USB (for both keyboard and mouse) versions of various TrackPoint keyboards. A search on Google or eBay should find you something... I am guessing the device isnt that big...
-Robert
Actually, it goes even further than this... if you look at the Wiki page, you will notice a scary trend that the general populace (that was so concerned in days gone about breaking up "Ma Bell") has missed.
Namely, Verizon/ATT/___Bell/Ameritech/SBC/ConTel/ManyMore are all pretty much two (one) big conglomerates once again. Many are subsidiaries of the other or have controlling interests in each other.
For instance, with this one as an example (ATT Mobility), they WERE wholly owned by SBC/ATT and BellSouth... until ATT merged/bought back BellSouth (and Ameritech, and Pacific Telesis, and Southern New England Telecommunications. Verizon and the other Bell "subsidiaries" own pretty much most of the rest...
All that really leaves is the re-merger of ATT & Verizon and the large majority of phone services (land and cellular) will once again be all Ma Bell.
Actually, lets say that your business provides your phone. Though the data provided isnt exactly very detailed in the TYPE of data you are sending/receiving, it indicates data usage. Inotherwords, your employer has a very good idea of how much time you waste surfing the web/msging/etc during company time.
While your response is technically accurate, the fact remains that IIS' use of those threads and memory spaces is abysmal. If IIS was coded well, or the threading engine/scheduler in WinAnything was decent, then your statement would be valid. If MS fixes this, then your statement would be valid. Real world tests dispute the technical matters you indicate (which SHOULD be an accurate portrayal of IIS/.NET capabilities, but arent).
If your post isnt a troll, perhaps it is a poor attempt at humor.
Mozilla welcomes vulnerability information so that it can address them
Mozilla is pretty quick to address vulnerabilities
MS wont even admit to a vulnerability unless enough of a stink has been made that the world already knows about it.
MS has often ignored serious vulnerabilities until they deemed it necessary to resolve them (see previous point for definition of "necessary")
Dont worry, Mozilla has a long way to go before they slip as far as MS...
Due to/in addition to the lack of information on what NetCraft's data represents, I would speculate a number of factors, each leading into the other.
Of course, all that is speculation - based on some sort of representative accuracy to NetCraft's numbers. And either way, this rather trivial gain is not indicative of "Microsoft's recent gains raise the prospect that Windows may soon challenge Apache's leadership position."
Or hopefully this means that the DOE is (using this machine for) concentrating on things that are applicable to the private sector such as Global Warming, the environment, climate, etc, for which a collaboration with the NSF would make sense.
Umm... yeah, that was a typo, and I would be really scared over what the NSA would do with that many FLOPS. :-)
If the government was interested in a machine from a company who has consistently shown it knows how to build these things, then who else would they choose?
IBM has consistently dominated the fastest supercomputer list:
http://www.top500.org/
And as for it's location... why would the government want to keep putting all their eggs in the same basket? Also, it's not like you need a keyboard and mouse and operator directly attached to this machine... so housing it elsewhere in a facility that can house it makes sense.
Sounds more like a bunch of people grumbling that they arent going to have access to what they thought would be their newest toy. In addition, it indicates possible collaboration between the DOE and NSA which should only be a good thing.
Thanks BD... if cleaning and regluing the stick doesnt work, I may give them a try!
-Robert
I have definitely found that the non-IBM TrackPoint (clones) are not nearly as good as the IBMs. I am not sure who/what FSR is/refers to, but that is who/where/what UniComp claims to have gotten the TrackPoint technology ("Integrated Pointing Stick using FSR technology").
The only thing I dont like about some of the M13s is as they approach a decade of use, the sticks seem to drift a bit... pulling the keyboard apart, cleaning it, and sometimes re-gluing the stick seem to help.
I do have a Model M13 that has a failed stick (jumps to the right and stays there... tons of pressure will get it to move - releasing the pressure makes it jump back to the right)... I am hoping the cleaning/re-gluing method works.
I also have one M13 that some idiot (dont want to mention my.... err... any names) left on the back deck of his car... the outer casing warped nicely... need to replace that casing - or maybe canabalize it for the black M13 with the "broken" TrackPoint.
Agreed... though the inertial features of a TrackPoint II are fine for me... with a little bit of settings tweaking (on Windows... OS/2 and eCS seem to need none), it performs almost as well. Though the lack of a middle mouse button does kinda suck (though I can configure a both button down as a 3rd button click on eCS and OS/2 - I am presuming Windows MUST have a similar feature by now - and if not, the TrackPoint II drivers for Windows should).
I never understood why there wasnt a third button added to the M13s. My ThinkPad 600 (which is slightly older than this Model M13) has all three buttons and the newer TrackPoint (I think III).
I wonder if the trackstick can be swapped from a III into the M13...
Thanks for the tip about the UniComp knockoffs... I guess I will stick to eBay for my M13s and get the real thing. It's a shame though that the black ones (which are the ones I am trying to get to match all my machines) seem to run a LOT more than the beige ones... still trying to buy some of the ancient grey industrial ones... (dunno what could be more industrial about a Model M/M13... but it is a neat color... kinda grey, kinda olive green/grey).
There are some wonderful mods out there as well - for the M and M13 (as they apply to both since they are near identical in internal and external layouts)... including backlit keys, ancient round button Selectric style mods, and more... one day when I have a few extra keyboards again, I think I will try a few of the mods... I definitely plan on embedding a black one into my server rack one day as part of the display/control unit... dual touchscreens and keyboard in plexi... one day...
Robert
Loving my One True Keyboards - and never giving them up!
There is actually a company that licensed the design from IBM and makes them - with and without Windows Keys (none for me thanks), and standard IBM click - or - mushy, crappy, gonna fail in a few years membrane. Havent tried them, but people claim they (the clicky ones) are as durable and well designed as the Mfg'd by Lexmark IBM Model M's (which is to say, slightly less durable, but still damn near indestructible). ( http://pckeyboard.com/ ) On a funny but very entirely true story (stories actually), I actually put that indestructible-ness to the test.
Back in 86 I worked for Valcom Computer (prolly never heard of them unless you were big into buying IBM's in the mid 80's). People would come in and ask "Why is the IBM keyboard $100 and the others $10-40?" So, I'd unplug an IBM from one of our computers, put it on the floor (tossing it tends to pop the overcaps on the keys), and then proceed to step on it, bounce up and down on it, etc... pick it back up and ask "If this was your cheap little $40 keyboard, would you want to plug it back in now and hope you didnt fry your keyboard controller or at the very least hope it still worked?" - then plug the beast back in and load the keyboard test and hit every key.
A number of years later, at a different job, after doing something similar with coworkers, we decided to see just how indestructible they were... so, after (obviously) passing the stop on it test, we took it out back and parked an Isuzu Trooper on it... then hit the gas... they keyboard went flying across the asphalt about 30 feet... was scuffed on the bottom, and of course worked fine. By that time, we were getting kinda desparate in our attempts to destroy it under something that resembled normal use, and were standing in the front of the stoor - where we saw a city bus stop at the corner (our storefront was 2 doors down from the light)... we ran out, put the Model M right in front of the big back wheels, and waited... the bus slowly crawled up (like people tend to do while waiting for a light) which put the wheel right on top of the keyboard. Finally the light changed, the bus took off, we ran out, grabbed the keyboard, waved to the guy behind the bus who was watching us with a mixture of amusement and "I think they are crazy" look on his face, and plugged it in...
So, having passed that test (yes, of course it still worked - it was only a city bus)... we decided to go upstairs and launch it off the roof (3 story drop). We threw it as far outward as possible adding to the distance travelled considerably. The keyboard must have went in total 150 feet between it's downward drop of 3 stories and the distance we launched it horizontally.
The ancient Model M's casing cracked or split in a number of places, the keycaps flew everywhere, it looked horrendous - but STILL worked.
We took a blowtorch (propane pipe welding torch like what a plumber uses) and took that to the outer casing... the weird stuff they use kinda smoldered on the outside, turning brown and black, but didnt burn through. Looked more like a bad scare from a surface burn on a human (like a cigarette burn).
Finally, we "destroyed" it with a sledge hammer. Mostly though, the hammer just ended up crushing the round key holders that rise up from the inner plastic cover - and probably a few of the keyswitches.
Neat thing is it was still easily fixable since we could have just replaced the inner and upper cover and a few keyswitches and been done (for far cheaper than a new Model M)... but we had a couple dozen at the time, so it didnt really matter and we just kept it as a conversation piece. Somewhere I have shards of the outer casing still...
Years and years ago, I gave my mom one of them... (Model M) ancient one, metal IBM logo and all... she still uses it and refuses to give it up - begging, offering to buy it, whatever... doesnt work.
And me, I have 2 Model M-13s, and slowly acquiring more... and will keep them till they die (if I dont die of old age first)... my M/M13 keyboards have outlasted every computer I have had - and will continue to do so.
Trackpoint? You must be joking!!!! Over a mouse or trackball - or trackpad?
Just teasing.
My favorite is definitely an IBM TrackPoint (or the true IBM TrackPoints in non IBM/Lenovo products - some of the clones seem too jumpy and too low resolution):
I think it is wonderful to never have to move my hands from their typing position - easier on the hands, wrist and fingers. My thumbs are always hovering over the mouse button (and spacebar) area anyway, and my right pointer finger is always right next to or over the trackpoint.
I've found it is great for many gaming applications too... since they are pressure sensitive, it is easy to go from a crawl to a run with just minor change in finger pressure.
The thing I've found about TrackPoints though, is most people seem to hate them for about a month... and then don't want anything but a TrackPoint (if they make it through that month). They are kinda odd to get used to at first, but after that, they are wonderful.
(a not too close) Second is a TrackBall
Preferrably a big Kensington - I dont like the small ones, and usually prefer a mouse over them. The Kensingtons (even today) seem to be better built than the other manufacturers' large ones as well.
Third would be a good lasermouse It's a mouse... it's laser instead of a "clean the ball and roller assys every couple months"... it works... but unlike my first and second choice, still requires the greater hand and arm movement... "ooops, pick it up and move it back to the center of the mouse pad/area" - which I don't like (highly dislike after years of using a TrackPoint and TrackBall).
Fiftieth would be a TrackPad
Yep, fiftieth, or maybe number 100 on my list... or lower even. Not fond of "Oooops, I just clicked on something... wherever the mouse happened to be... because my palm/hand hit the mouse button" or "Damn it, I just moved the mouse from where I wanted because my palm hit the trackpad surface" or the "How much pressure is a click, and how much just moves the thing?"
I always disable the press to click feature when I am forced to use a TrackPad as the sensitivity setting only works great if you happen to be just as awake, and just as happy/angry as the last time you adjusted it. Of course, using mostly IBM Model M and Model M-13 keyboards has kinda spoiled me (especially the M-13 - which is the Model M with built in TrackPoint)... as when I am frustrated (as every programmer gets from time to time - or every Windows users, and a lot of users of other OSes) I tend to take it out on my near indestructible keyboard - whether it's just hitting the damn buttons really hard, or on occassion pounding on the keyboard with my fist... so I am in the habit of varying my hand and figure pressure... and in addition, because of both the tactile and audible feedback; the amount of pressure I use doesn't matter as long as I feel that sudden lack of pressure as the key bottoms, and hear the click down and then the click up when I release. Of course on a non IBM M Series, I never pound on the keyboard... not fond of replacing keyboards, but my finger pressure is still not constant due to years of habit.
So, my overall favorite input device is:
An IBM Model M13 Keyboard/TrackPoint combo... I have a beige and a black one, which even after well over a decade, and a LOT of abuse, keep on running. Followed by an IBM Model M (some of the ones I use are original series over 20 years old - and still good as new) with a (Kensington) TrackBall... Third being the Model M and a LaserMouse... Fourth being punch cards, Fifth being scan cards, sixth being.... and 100th being TrackPads.
My Model M-13 that I am typing on now was born on Feb 12th, 1997 (yeah, they all have "Dates of Birth" on them... every single one that still has it's original labelling). Computers may be disposable, but my Model M-13 is NOT! Ever!
The One True Keyboard - The IBM Model M - Entire Websites devoted to it in all it's incarnations
I forgot to add this to the post...
On /. on July 14th:
"In a just-published Microsoft patent application for an Advertising Services Architecture, which delivers targeted advertising as 'part of the OS.' Microsoft, who once teamed with law enforcement to protect consumers from unwanted advertising, goes on to boast that the invention can 'take steps to verify ad consumption,' be used to block ads from competitors,
-> AND EVEN sneak a peek at 'user document files, user e-mail files, user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, [and] computer status messages' to deliver more tightly targeted ads."
Yes I know, they say
"I would stress that we get this information anonymously, and there is no use of personally identifiable information, such as name or e-mail address, in the product," Ian Thomas from MS's Digital Advertising Solutions Group wrote.which means what? That the current plans involved NOT getting the information anonymously? That he is recommending they change that plan? Neat huh? He's not saying that he will be getting the information anonymously - but stressing that he thinks they should.
Of course, then there's a matter of semantics involved in that statement... is he saying that the information aggregated should be unable to specify a particular person - or is he saying that the collecting of such data should be done in a way that is "anonymous", transparent and undetectable to the end user? Kind of like an anonymous tip? The person being tipped off doesnt know they were even being watched, much less reported to others? Hmmm....
Either way, with the methods they are using (from their databases that contain way too much information on a lot of web surfers), this smells of a really rotten idea - especially with MS's track record (in anything).
(1) IE already "reports" back your search results for any URL you type in without "http://" (and according to some rumors/posts, IE7 does this with ALL URLs to verify the site isnt a phishing site).
(2) With their LiveID information (which can easily be tied to the above mentioned browsing habits via IE - as well as Vista's reporting to home tools), they have a decent amount of information on you to tie to your "browsing habits"
(3) EVERY MS Internet property states in the EULA that they have the right to use ANY content you send/upload/store on their service - and share with their "partners" as well - and sell for that matter.
(4) Combine all of these, and MS isn't doing web analytics in the fashion the term already means. They are simply logging ALL of your (IE) surfing habits, tying that to the identifiable information they already have on file for you (assuming you have a Dead-ID account - and possibly even if you dont - if you've activated/registered their software), and scanning your uploaded/stored/sent documents (emails, stuff on any other MS property) to collect information and then sell it to their advertising "partners".
(5) If it weren't for their EULA, this would not be legal. Of course, who is to say that their EULA is legal anyway? I still want to see that be dragged through court.
Normally web analytics does not include parsing your private information (in emails, posts, ALL surfing habits, etc), and using your (given thinking it would be safe) personally identifiable information (via Live-ID, Vista registration, etc) to provide services to others for the purposes of marketing and/or spamming. Unfortunately, the term still applies as it is a form of web-analytics... just in the worst, privacy violating way.
The real thing that should be debated here is how to prevent this - not whether or not their software/service will be good or not. Frankly, with all the information they are privy to, it is hard to see how even MS could mess this up - so that all is a moot point.
The potential for "private" information being used to (a) profile you, (b) make money off of you (by selling that info to someone else you dont want to have it), and/or (c) spam to you in the most personal way (considering they know far more about "you" via your surfing habits) - that's the scary part that should be discussed here.
At least I think so...
The screen shots clearly dont show anything. (Vista/XP/Whatever)
Presumably, (as I have done, but NOT using XP as the router/NAT device), the XP box would be his gateway, and he is connecting to it using Remote DeskCrap via the Vista machine.
That's assuming the screenshots actually are showing an XP and Vista machine - or a Vista and XP machine - or two XP machines - or two Vista machines.
There are a (growing) number of add-ons for XP to make it look virtually identical to Vista... and Vista can also OOB be made to look like XP. The XP machine we have here looks like Vista...
The lack of pertinent data is the biggest point making this seem like BS...
The fact that his site - or the site he is hosting on, is displaying an ad, in such a great place, for software to scan for such things, makes me think this whole thing is more of an ad to lure the unenlightened public and conspiracy theorists into buying their software...
Snippet of the site, including the ad (which shows up on the site in a box, in the middle of the article, with a link to buy the software - that oddly he didnt use for his very own little tests...
...I'm getting to that. See how your network really works! Eve 3D Network Surveillance by Whitedust LabsAfter installing all of my usual apps on Vista I was impressed to see most everything was 100% backward compatible. I expected much of my...
Or maybe it's a way of getting free advertising from /.?
...I'm getting to that. See how your network really works! Eve 3D Network Surveillance by Whitedust LabsAfter installing all of my usual apps on Vista I was impressed to see most everything was 100% backward compatible. I expected much of my...
Just a thought...
And interesting that he used Peer Guardian instead of this EVE 3D Network Surveillance Tool he is advertising on the site.
Sorry dwm, but I disagree with this as noted below:
No. The relevant part of the fifth amendment states:Blocking the use of property is not legally the same as depriving someone of it (although, admittedly, practically-speaking it comes pretty close). If this were a violation of the fifth amendment, so would the IRS putting a lien on someone's property for tax purposes.
"Blocking" said use of property is pretty much the same thing... unless of course you think that said property will be magically released before damage to the owner('s life, liberty) occurs.
The "definition" Bush('s writers) are using is:
are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt inWhich pretty much means "Seized" - and either way is the same as depriving someone the use of.
Of course, either way, you are forgetting one of the most relevant parts in that Amendment - though you did quote that part:
without due process of lawThis is the other part of the Amendment that is being "violated" - which you neglected to point out while defending this action as Constitutional.
Sorry that I beg to differ with you. Semantics dont make something right (your claim of this being constitutional) - and the 2nd part of this is quite semantically undisputable (the lack of due process).