or isn't the internet already tiered? I'm sure I might not have a 100% understanding of the entire issue, but I, as a consumer, already have a choice on how much I pay per month for the speed of my connection to the internet. This ranges anywhere from free for dialup to hundreds of dollars a month for commercial grade DSL, T1, etc. Then, let's say I want to run a web server. I can then be cheap and run it on my regular internet connection, pay more for a faster connection, or pay a monthly fee to have a specialized company host it. If I choose to have a specialized web hosting company host it, I have even more choices. I might not have the choice of speed, because I expect that if I am paying this company to host my site, it will be served as fast as possible, otherwise I would do it myself.
now, if my ISP decided they did not want to pay some company a fee to use their ultra-fast backbone that connected my ISP to the internet at say 100MBps (for sake of argument), I would not expect my ISP to offer me a connection that was 150MBps, knowing that 100MBps is the fastest I would ever see. Even if they did try to pull this off, I would be freaking pissed if I decided to pay say $100 a month for my ISP's fastest connection if I was seeing speeds that were equal to their lowest quality and cheapest connection (kind of reminds me of the Comcast cable internet i have right now...)
Everyone start your RIAA piggy banks now, because in the not to distant future, the RIAA will be knocking on your door asking for their pennies because you were whistling a song.
what good would a cell phone be if you could actually TALK to and LEAVE MESSAGES for your friends? I mean, why would anyone ever want to use a thing like "direct connect" when you can spend hours saying the same thing using 9 keys.
i think the funniest thing about all this "social networking" stuff is that if a person was your friend, you would already have a good idea what they are up to and what their interests are. And if you don't, then they probably aren't your friend. True, you may have a friend who is now a long distance away, or you might use the service to make new friends, but is the need there to keep tabs on them 24/7 without placing an actual phone call, writing a letter (old skool, what), or writing an email?
I don't blame these guys for trying. I just blame the freaking sheep around me who get spoon fed this crap and eat it without a second guess.
I'm still pretty new to the linux scene, but I don't understand why Oracle would even think of BUYING a linux distro. I'm sure there's more to it, but the only difference I have seen between Slackware, Debian, RedHat, and DSL (just the ones i'd tried) is 1) their standard apps 2) how conf files are stored/handled and 3)their package management. If Oracles only goal is to create a custom OS centered around their DB, they might as well head over to linuxfromscratch.org and build their own custom distro. otherwise, how is it truly going to be a custom OS? It will just be a distro with Oracle included.
maybe it is my relatively small knowledge of the business of OSS and drivers and lawyers, but I think that most of your points are wrong. Maybe it's just me, but I would assume ATI and Nvidia already have lawyers that they pay to do things like look over patents and such, maybe they aren't full time, but I'd assume they are already used a lot, so any additional work is moot. Yes, they will have to spend more, but I think that relatively, it won't make a difference.
Same with the driver developers. Nvidia/ATI is already paying them to produce drivers, so what difference does it make if a small portion of the team now spends time going thru submitted code? And Nvidia/ATI would still release "Official" driver packages, and they would only support those. They already have tech support for their current drivers, so there is no added expense for their "Official" open source package. There is no denying that a small number of people will call up with problems using unofficial drivers, but that will be a small minority. Seriously, if you were going to use unofficial drivers, you would do so knowingly and you would know that ATI/Nvidia would not be responsible for any outcome as the cause of that. Even when such a person calls up, the tech person would just ask "Are you using the Official Package X.XX?", and the person would say, "No i have Y-X.XX" and the tech support would say, "All we can say is use Official from our website, bye." Not to mention, how many "hacked" drivers are out there now with the source closed? I know for windows there are tons, which is why windows has certified drivers, and why Futuremark will only let you post benchmark scores with certified drivers. I'm sure that the ATI/Nvidia tech support already gets a small amount of people calling up saying "i downloaded hacked-driver-X.XX and it doesn't work." So again, your point is moot.
after all that, I do not think that "cost" is a valid reason to not have open source drivers. If anything, i can see ATI/Nvidia saving money by downsizing their driver developers because of all the volunteers that will be contributing. The only reason i can think of that ATI/Nvidia/Hardware Manufacturer X would not open their driver source is because it contains code specific to their proprietary hardware, and opening that source would allow competitors to easily copy their proprietary hardware, or even improve upon it. Then again, any proprietary hardware should have a patent, which would be available for all to see, so competitors can already see what your hardware does and how it is implemented.
personally, without knowing really anything about what is hidden inside the code of drivers, I think all companies should open the source to their drivers and I can not see why they do not.
"best" is a relative term and can be skewed for any marketing purpose, much like statistics. Technically, any new product should improve upon an existing product, otherwise there would be no reason for it, and anyone who would spend money on it is a sucker. Truly, the only way to claim "best chip ever" is if the new chip exceeds all previous chips in every possible comparison.
therefore, the new coreduo is better than previous Intel revisions in some ways, but not in every way possible, so it is not the best chip ever.
I think the even bigger question is "Why is this going to keep people from pirating Windows?" Obviously, the only reason MS, or any company, wants to stop pirating is because they think they are losing money as a result. Well, the only way that this new measure is going to be beneficial is if it turns would-be pirates in to retail sales. As you said, there is a market for a stipped down, lite version of the operating system. Personally, and I know I'm not alone, I changed from Win2k to WinXP for the small boost in gaming. And when I was in WinXP, i always ran my computer with all of the "shiny" features off. I also ran BB4Win for while because it was much faster than running the default Explorer shell. I also know I am not alone in thinking that the programs I run should use my system resources, not my OS. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the beauty the upgraded desktops, and there is no denying that the new Vista look is appealing, but I don't think it is anything that will make a would-be pirate buy Windows.
While the new verification might decrease the amount of people who pirate the new Vista, I do not think it is going to increase sales and I definitely do not think it is going to decrease pirating. People who need windows will either crack the verification, deal with the "lite" version, or stay with their current version of windows. I truly think that MS is going to see a lot of people defecting to OSX and to Linux. Apple is already making it's case and it will continue to grow. The people who use Linux know that it is a viable option, but it is still looking for it's breakthru performance to jump into the mainstream.
I jumped ship to linux a month or so ago when my windows registry got corrupted. Ever since Vista's inital announcement I have been planning on changing, and the corrupt registry was the final nail. I have no intentions on ever going back to windows, and I think that if Linux could market itself to more people, it would change a lot of minds, too.
Yes, I know that Foster's is crap. And i do know that Australians think its crap. Just like Corona is crap. But hey, we live in america where quality of product doesn't sell product, its quality of marketing...Put it in a celebrities hand or put a debatably naked girl next to it and you got yourself a winner. Our free market thrives on the gulability of the weak minded, self conscious.
It is no secret that innovation is driven by laziness. Every invention is created to cure a pet peeve and make life easier. While the one can argue that the computer has taken away key skills like drawing, drafting, and writing, there is no doubt that new skills are created. Anyone can draw, but it takes time and practice to learn the skills necesary to make good drawings/artwork. Anyone can use a program like Photoshop, but again, it takes time to learn the nuances of each tool and the intricacies of the program. The mind is very similar to a muscle in that it must be used to retain the information it possesses, if it is not used, it will waste away. So, if you spend all day, every day using a computer for your work and never draw, your drawing skills are going to decrease. Just as if you learn a second language, you start to lose it as soon as you stop using it.
This is not to say that drawing is not a necessary skill. On the contrary, drawing is a very important basic skill needed by artists. They might not need to use it every day in their professional lives, but as a student, it is key to teach basic concepts. Every field of study starts with the basics so it is easier to understand and appreciate more advanced topics. With that, I am fairly certain you will be hard pressed to find a college or university that offers digital art that does not require core art classes like drawing as prerequisites. I do not think it is significant that drawing skills diminish when students start using the computer as their medium, because the larger lessons like composition are still being used. The medium an artist chooses to express themselves does not matter.
Re:We're much more alike than you think, Mr. Gates
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actually, my pay/work ratio would be undefined (anything devided by zero is undefined)...tho i guess i do work sometimes, so I think its safe to say my pay/work ratio is definitely not less than one.
along the same lines, I'd really like to see benchmarks not just comparing Apple hardware running Windows to PC hardware running windows, but I think it would be interesting to see which OS utilizes the Apple Hardware better. It might be too early to do so, but I think it would definitely be worth knowing which hardware type really is better (obviously it will depend on application, just like intel vs amd)
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My girlfriend (yes, all of you should be jealous) pointed this out to me as being wrong. from wikipedia:
Vancomycin acts by inhibiting proper cell wall synthesis
I really don't know if protein synthesis has anything to do with cell wall syntehsis, but since she's in med school, I'm more likely to trust her.
Distributed PS2 emulator. 'Nuff said.
now, if my ISP decided they did not want to pay some company a fee to use their ultra-fast backbone that connected my ISP to the internet at say 100MBps (for sake of argument), I would not expect my ISP to offer me a connection that was 150MBps, knowing that 100MBps is the fastest I would ever see. Even if they did try to pull this off, I would be freaking pissed if I decided to pay say $100 a month for my ISP's fastest connection if I was seeing speeds that were equal to their lowest quality and cheapest connection (kind of reminds me of the Comcast cable internet i have right now...)
Everyone start your RIAA piggy banks now, because in the not to distant future, the RIAA will be knocking on your door asking for their pennies because you were whistling a song.
where's the sex?
isn't it common knowledge that Windows ME was Microsoft's biggest mistake ever?
similarly, when I read the title, I was thinking a "sex for drugs" type of trade...not an E-Z Pass.
i think the funniest thing about all this "social networking" stuff is that if a person was your friend, you would already have a good idea what they are up to and what their interests are. And if you don't, then they probably aren't your friend. True, you may have a friend who is now a long distance away, or you might use the service to make new friends, but is the need there to keep tabs on them 24/7 without placing an actual phone call, writing a letter (old skool, what), or writing an email?
I don't blame these guys for trying. I just blame the freaking sheep around me who get spoon fed this crap and eat it without a second guess.
I can't wait to spend $2000+ on my Viiv sticker with a computer attached.
...it was also decided that this guys software doesn't work as millions of people have illegal copies of both Autodesk and Microsoft software.
looks like the writer needs to RTF Dictionary. I believe the word he was looking for is "sensible".
I'm still pretty new to the linux scene, but I don't understand why Oracle would even think of BUYING a linux distro. I'm sure there's more to it, but the only difference I have seen between Slackware, Debian, RedHat, and DSL (just the ones i'd tried) is 1) their standard apps 2) how conf files are stored/handled and 3)their package management. If Oracles only goal is to create a custom OS centered around their DB, they might as well head over to linuxfromscratch.org and build their own custom distro. otherwise, how is it truly going to be a custom OS? It will just be a distro with Oracle included.
Same with the driver developers. Nvidia/ATI is already paying them to produce drivers, so what difference does it make if a small portion of the team now spends time going thru submitted code? And Nvidia/ATI would still release "Official" driver packages, and they would only support those. They already have tech support for their current drivers, so there is no added expense for their "Official" open source package. There is no denying that a small number of people will call up with problems using unofficial drivers, but that will be a small minority. Seriously, if you were going to use unofficial drivers, you would do so knowingly and you would know that ATI/Nvidia would not be responsible for any outcome as the cause of that. Even when such a person calls up, the tech person would just ask "Are you using the Official Package X.XX?", and the person would say, "No i have Y-X.XX" and the tech support would say, "All we can say is use Official from our website, bye." Not to mention, how many "hacked" drivers are out there now with the source closed? I know for windows there are tons, which is why windows has certified drivers, and why Futuremark will only let you post benchmark scores with certified drivers. I'm sure that the ATI/Nvidia tech support already gets a small amount of people calling up saying "i downloaded hacked-driver-X.XX and it doesn't work." So again, your point is moot.
after all that, I do not think that "cost" is a valid reason to not have open source drivers. If anything, i can see ATI/Nvidia saving money by downsizing their driver developers because of all the volunteers that will be contributing. The only reason i can think of that ATI/Nvidia/Hardware Manufacturer X would not open their driver source is because it contains code specific to their proprietary hardware, and opening that source would allow competitors to easily copy their proprietary hardware, or even improve upon it. Then again, any proprietary hardware should have a patent, which would be available for all to see, so competitors can already see what your hardware does and how it is implemented.
personally, without knowing really anything about what is hidden inside the code of drivers, I think all companies should open the source to their drivers and I can not see why they do not.
therefore, the new coreduo is better than previous Intel revisions in some ways, but not in every way possible, so it is not the best chip ever.
exactly. this is not a "flaw" of bootcamp, it is a "feature" of windows.
While the new verification might decrease the amount of people who pirate the new Vista, I do not think it is going to increase sales and I definitely do not think it is going to decrease pirating. People who need windows will either crack the verification, deal with the "lite" version, or stay with their current version of windows. I truly think that MS is going to see a lot of people defecting to OSX and to Linux. Apple is already making it's case and it will continue to grow. The people who use Linux know that it is a viable option, but it is still looking for it's breakthru performance to jump into the mainstream.
I jumped ship to linux a month or so ago when my windows registry got corrupted. Ever since Vista's inital announcement I have been planning on changing, and the corrupt registry was the final nail. I have no intentions on ever going back to windows, and I think that if Linux could market itself to more people, it would change a lot of minds, too.
Yes, I know that Foster's is crap. And i do know that Australians think its crap. Just like Corona is crap. But hey, we live in america where quality of product doesn't sell product, its quality of marketing...Put it in a celebrities hand or put a debatably naked girl next to it and you got yourself a winner. Our free market thrives on the gulability of the weak minded, self conscious.
actually, you would search for "beer" and you would get Foster's...because Foster's is Australian for beer.
This is not to say that drawing is not a necessary skill. On the contrary, drawing is a very important basic skill needed by artists. They might not need to use it every day in their professional lives, but as a student, it is key to teach basic concepts. Every field of study starts with the basics so it is easier to understand and appreciate more advanced topics. With that, I am fairly certain you will be hard pressed to find a college or university that offers digital art that does not require core art classes like drawing as prerequisites. I do not think it is significant that drawing skills diminish when students start using the computer as their medium, because the larger lessons like composition are still being used. The medium an artist chooses to express themselves does not matter.
actually, my pay/work ratio would be undefined (anything devided by zero is undefined)...tho i guess i do work sometimes, so I think its safe to say my pay/work ratio is definitely not less than one.
along the same lines, I'd really like to see benchmarks not just comparing Apple hardware running Windows to PC hardware running windows, but I think it would be interesting to see which OS utilizes the Apple Hardware better. It might be too early to do so, but I think it would definitely be worth knowing which hardware type really is better (obviously it will depend on application, just like intel vs amd)
?? = check email and dream of whiteboard
so he reads email and surfs the web...sounds like my job but with a bigger monitor...and bigger paycheck
http://images.google.com/images?q=Tiktaalik+roseae &hl=en&btnG=Search+Images
i'm sure i could find more if i tried
I don't think anyone would object to having their privates sniffed by Microsoft, and then being "serviced" while they are down there.