One thing that bugs me about the W3C is their apparent lack of recognition for newer extensions to Web technology. They seem to keep leaving a huge gap in what Web standards support while companies like Microsoft implement a closed, proprietary, platform-dependent kludge to provide that functionality. Its understandable that a cross-platform, developer-friendly solution for new capabilities should take time, but the W3C seems 15 years behind everything. Web Standards are indeed in a sorry state, and have been for some time. Just getting people to recognize the CSS standard is a headache, and things like rounded corners are still a long way off.
This is one area that a more open, participatory model is sorely needed. Look how far the Linux kernel has come in the past 15 years! And then look how far Web standards have come... not far, in my opinion (The CSS 3 spec is taking how long? And will get implemented in most browsers when?)
I think we, developers and Web-savvy alike, can do much better. But we have a lot of work to do... the Web has become very balkanized but it is still a market that has more wiggle-room than, say, the Operating System market. After all, Firefox is has gained significant marketshare and it still seems to be growing...
At any rate, TFA's seem to be punctuating a sentiment that will hopefully motivate people to move Web Standards forward sooner, rather than later.
<OSSzealot>
I beg your pardon? Since when does proprietary software have infinite power? I think you mean the infinite power of OpenOffice Calc!
</OSSzealot>
MS is actually kind of shooting themselves in the foot with XBox. Not only have they burned up an insane amount of money on the two XBoxes, but they are helping to encourage people to divide their time away from Windows gaming to console gaming. There have been many, many game consoles in the past, made by numerous companies. There is still a fair amount of competition in the console market. But, there has only been one OS that is popular for PC gaming, MS Windows.
I can't see this "Vista only" requirement pushing anyone but a super-hardcore Halo fan off the fence.
a steady flow of independent innovation pouring in to the UK if they do end up getting rid of the illogical legislation standing in the way of software progress (I will refrain from using the word "innovation").
Microsoft (and anyone else commanding a patent arsenal) are saying the opposite, of course; that the market will shrink, not expand. It sure would be nice to see them eat their words if the UK does continue in a no-software-patents direction and smaller, more inventive companies take advantage of their new freedom.
I know this is just a tentative thing - they won't be implementing this tech immediately - but how expensive will these glass/paladium spheres be to produce? Let us also consider the volume of fuel the USA et al consumes. And then of course, there is the issue of disposing of or recycling them. IMO, the idea behind the patent raises more questions than it answers. Of course, TFA was fairly brief, perhaps there's more to the idea.
At any rate, the only reason we come to expect the conveniences of today's fuel and transportation tech is due to the fact that we can just pump up the fossil fuel and dump it in a container for later use. However, said fossil fuel could rapidly grow scarce, and emulating that convenience with other fuels may prove to be too expensive to be even remotely practical, at least in the near future with our current tech.
(This is not to say we shouldn't keep researching! There are solutions out there for sure... I just doubt this glass sphere idea is one of them.)
Re:Looks interesting, but does it fold?
on
Acme for Windows
·
· Score: 1
Off the top of my head, two GPL programs that do code folding are: Code::Blocks (cross-platform, wxWidgets based) and Notepad++ (sadly, Windows-only).
I'd rather not feed the trolls, but I'd like to point out that Negroponte's project is... Negroponte's project! If you would like to start your own laptops-for-starving-children project and do things differently, go right ahead! After all, its good that we're all Thinking Of The Children.
a whole lot of "peer pressure" in all areas of the industry against Sun's Java technology. The current "you should open-source it" demand doesn't sound new to my ears, I'm pretty sure I've been hearing it for years.
Although a platform in and of itself, Java is built on its own Object-Oriented language, and most people expect languages to be public-domain-ish, like C++, which is still a tremendously popular language despite its relative age and quirks.
However, when it comes to C++, there is no "official" implementation outside of the basic STL and C libraries. Java, on the other hand, isn't just a language, it comes with a platform that ties in with what most developers expect to have available when they use the language.
The dilemma is fairly obvious. If Sun tries to monopolize Java, Java will likely become marginalized (especially since it now competes on some levels with.NET) However, if Sun makes Java freer, Sun runs the risk of marginalizing themselves as a vendor.
In the meantime, others in the market (and other markets) will continue to apply pressure to get better access to the Java language/platform, simply because in terms of languages and platforms, openness is advantageous for everyone developing with it (unless you're talking to MS.)
As someone who is well informed as to how the Internet operates, I'm not even going to bother yelling "bullshit!" It's obvious. I'm sure there will be a hundred posts here going into great detail as to why this latest little ploy the telcos are trying is based on flawed logic.
The real issue is that these big companies will be whispering these ideas to the politicians, who of course have no clue about how the Internet works.
Even non-US citizens should bring this issue up with their government representative and inform about the real facts, and what your views as a voting citizen are. Make insistent phone-calls. Mail well-worded letters.
And something anyone can do instead of talking about the Net Neutrality issue to their fellow nerds, is bring the issue to the non-tech public. Tell the E-mailing Moms and Pops what could happen when they try to download photos their family members have sent, tell the teenagers what could happen to their MySpace access or their Skype connection.
The future of the Internet is at stake, dammit, and no citizen of any country is safe until we have widely recognized, firm laws that make sure the public, global Internet belongs to the people and their free speech!
"So where are you young mainframe people learning how to use mainframes?"
*crickets chirp in the background*
I don't think there are any "young mainframe people".;)
On a more serious note, I would suspect that any new "mainframe people" (should they exist) would be employed somewhere they are learning from the "old mainframe people", so that they can keep the big iron running when their predecessors retire.
Eeg, I hope people don't take that post as sounding too hostile towards our Chinese friends. Heck, to be perfectly honest, I would be suspicious if IBM was selling fresh mainframes to the US government.
*dons tinfoil hat and heads for his lead-lined bunker*
"The announcement of the low-end mainframe was made in China, which I.B.M. regards as a promising market for the machines."
Way to go IBM, supplying fresh "bricks" for the Great Firewall. I mean, I'm not trying to start a China-bashing-fest, but I can think of quite a few applications China might have for mainframe computers that a Westerner might find... a little unnerving.
In communist China, the mainframe schedules time with YOU!
I wonder if we'll see an increase in "bounty" based development. It certainly seems likely. A large number of smaller F/OSS projects also offer a significant monetary prize or "bounty" for someone who can implement tech to solve a specified need, want or problem. The Google Summer of Code is also, in my mind, a similar deal.
This stands in contrast to older, beaurocratic methods that are closed and contract-based.
This new openness is, in my opinion, closer to the ideals of a free market than the latter mentioned system.
At first glance, I'm interested, and yet I can't help shake the feeling that there's something rather clumsy about these devices. There is definitely something appealing about the "bigger than a PDA, smaller than a laptop" form-factor, but as I've seen mentioned already this seems like a solution waiting for the problem. My 3 cents about what's holding these types of tech back:
1) Input So far, it's hard to beat a keyboard for actually getting stuff done. Even when playing games, I tend to like having lots of little keys to use instead of a chunky controller with buttons, knobs and levers. Touch screens will do for a pointing device, although touching a screen is less continuous than holding a mouse, so mice still have their advantages. Still, touch screens are very useful for some things (market checkouts or anything with an incremental flow of finite options) and I'd like to see them become more commonplace, but you still can't use them for text entry.
2) Software and Flexibility TFA also mentions that the "Pepper Pad" also lacks useful preloaded software (eg. a calendar). Hardware is useless without some intelligent, useable software to run on it. Also, the Pepper Pad would make a wonderful handheld media device if not for the price tag, which begs that the device be used as more than just a replacement for a portable DVD player. As per the "solution waiting for a problem" comment, people are yet to really think of what software you'd want specifically for a device like this, with these abilities, that you can carry with you.
3) Internet Availability, Battery Power (Wirelessness) This last one is rather simple, in that an Internet-aware device is useful for accessing all that the Web and Net have to offer... provided you have access to the Internet. Wi-Fi is still far from obiquitious. And, if a device needs to suckle on a wall socket (or a car's 12V plug) after 45 mins of heavy use, its not really very "wireless" or "portable".
... I'm sorry... this isn't Web 2.0, this is Web 1996... this is... this is... I couldn't even cope with TFA, it was giving me horrible flashbacks from back when I wrote IE-only webpages because I didn't know any better.
Seriously, I'm not trying to troll, I'm genuinely at a loss for words here... how... what...???...who are you people, and what have you done with Slashdot?
While as a Westerner I may be rather disturbed by the "sacrifices for the greater good" tone of the parent post, I think it's good to hear the other side of the story. Mod parent up.
While I may strongly disagree with asking people to give up freedom so that a government structure can maintain "stability", the parent also has a point that while there are large numbers of citizens living long, happy lives, the situation isn't black and white (there is no "great evil", as the parent put it. Things are more complicated than that, despite what certain American politicians might have you believe.)
That said, I myself believe that humans, on the whole, need and desire the freedom to live without someone else having power over their lives. I'm not saying that current Western ideals are all that great, but they're definitely a step in the right direction, and I strongly disagree with the power the Chinese government has and exerts.
I'm not sure if 62 is anywhere near correct when it comes to China jailing internet dissent. Who's to know? China is very secretive and evasive when it comes to releasing numbers, even numbers that most governments take pretty seriously.
And who cares about whether the "jailable offense" is on the internet, or in a newspaper, or in a diary? If the Chinese government thinks a citizen has the word "democracy" (for example) in their head, there is a good chance they can just lock them up, throw away the key, and nobody will ever know.
Or not. It's impossible for anyone outside of the "Inner Party" to know what's really going on. And even Western governments have a tendency to say things that are a little... off... of the real truth...
No need to be rude. I'm not claiming I know how to run EA or anything. I'm just saying what I've heard and how it makes sense from my perspective: Treating employees like slave labor probably won't get you huge productivity gains in the long run. According to the well-known ea_spouse blog, EA can be very rough on its employees. And according to the recent lawsuit, it has been found by the court that EA hasn't been treating their employees fairly.
If you work at EA and think your experiences say something to the contrary, please feel free to elaborate and enlighten us. But don't insult me for putting in my two cents.
"as well as hurting their "efficiency" by having to let developers work less hours"
I think you are being sarcastic here, but I felt I should point out: As I've heard from the ea_spouse blog and many other places, the way that EA uses their employees is not "efficient". Just because they had them working like dogs from 9am - 10pm all week long does not mean that they were being efficient. There are quite a few reasons for this, such as the fact that an employee is only really worth their wage when they are rested and energetic enough to be fully productive. Also several things to do with the environment (or lack thereof) EA provided for their employees, and their style of management, are factors that I would think lead to poor efficiency.
What EA did with their employees may have worked had whips and granite blocks been involved, but these are creative and intellectual workers, so EA's attempt to maximize how much they get from an employee was extremely counterproductive.
Perhaps now that the lawsuit has clued them in, EA will change their employee management style to something that is actually efficient, as opposed to just unnecessary brutality. For the sake of their employees, let us hope so.
Slashdot Mirror
One thing that bugs me about the W3C is their apparent lack of recognition for newer extensions to Web technology. They seem to keep leaving a huge gap in what Web standards support while companies like Microsoft implement a closed, proprietary, platform-dependent kludge to provide that functionality. Its understandable that a cross-platform, developer-friendly solution for new capabilities should take time, but the W3C seems 15 years behind everything. Web Standards are indeed in a sorry state, and have been for some time. Just getting people to recognize the CSS standard is a headache, and things like rounded corners are still a long way off.
This is one area that a more open, participatory model is sorely needed. Look how far the Linux kernel has come in the past 15 years! And then look how far Web standards have come... not far, in my opinion (The CSS 3 spec is taking how long? And will get implemented in most browsers when?)
I think we, developers and Web-savvy alike, can do much better. But we have a lot of work to do... the Web has become very balkanized but it is still a market that has more wiggle-room than, say, the Operating System market. After all, Firefox is has gained significant marketshare and it still seems to be growing...
At any rate, TFA's seem to be punctuating a sentiment that will hopefully motivate people to move Web Standards forward sooner, rather than later.
"...the infinite power of Excel..."
<OSSzealot>
I beg your pardon? Since when does proprietary software have infinite power? I think you mean the infinite power of OpenOffice Calc!
</OSSzealot>
MS is actually kind of shooting themselves in the foot with XBox. Not only have they burned up an insane amount of money on the two XBoxes, but they are helping to encourage people to divide their time away from Windows gaming to console gaming. There have been many, many game consoles in the past, made by numerous companies. There is still a fair amount of competition in the console market. But, there has only been one OS that is popular for PC gaming, MS Windows.
I can't see this "Vista only" requirement pushing anyone but a super-hardcore Halo fan off the fence.
I've always had the impression that these bureaucrats listened more to industry.
Really? I haven't noticed that.
*COUGH*
a steady flow of independent innovation pouring in to the UK if they do end up getting rid of the illogical legislation standing in the way of software progress (I will refrain from using the word "innovation").
Microsoft (and anyone else commanding a patent arsenal) are saying the opposite, of course; that the market will shrink, not expand. It sure would be nice to see them eat their words if the UK does continue in a no-software-patents direction and smaller, more inventive companies take advantage of their new freedom.
I know this is just a tentative thing - they won't be implementing this tech immediately - but how expensive will these glass/paladium spheres be to produce? Let us also consider the volume of fuel the USA et al consumes. And then of course, there is the issue of disposing of or recycling them. IMO, the idea behind the patent raises more questions than it answers. Of course, TFA was fairly brief, perhaps there's more to the idea.
At any rate, the only reason we come to expect the conveniences of today's fuel and transportation tech is due to the fact that we can just pump up the fossil fuel and dump it in a container for later use. However, said fossil fuel could rapidly grow scarce, and emulating that convenience with other fuels may prove to be too expensive to be even remotely practical, at least in the near future with our current tech.
(This is not to say we shouldn't keep researching! There are solutions out there for sure... I just doubt this glass sphere idea is one of them.)
Off the top of my head, two GPL programs that do code folding are: Code::Blocks (cross-platform, wxWidgets based) and Notepad++ (sadly, Windows-only).
some of the links are already unresponsive. I bet they weren't expecting a website about a text editor to get Slashdotted!
...and leave a smoking crater where the server was.
That's right! You never know when or where we will strike!
Note to self: Do not include the words "asshole" or "bitch" in the title of an otherwise informative post.
I'd rather not feed the trolls, but I'd like to point out that Negroponte's project is... Negroponte's project! If you would like to start your own laptops-for-starving-children project and do things differently, go right ahead! After all, its good that we're all Thinking Of The Children.
a whole lot of "peer pressure" in all areas of the industry against Sun's Java technology. The current "you should open-source it" demand doesn't sound new to my ears, I'm pretty sure I've been hearing it for years.
.NET) However, if Sun makes Java freer, Sun runs the risk of marginalizing themselves as a vendor.
Although a platform in and of itself, Java is built on its own Object-Oriented language, and most people expect languages to be public-domain-ish, like C++, which is still a tremendously popular language despite its relative age and quirks.
However, when it comes to C++, there is no "official" implementation outside of the basic STL and C libraries. Java, on the other hand, isn't just a language, it comes with a platform that ties in with what most developers expect to have available when they use the language.
The dilemma is fairly obvious. If Sun tries to monopolize Java, Java will likely become marginalized (especially since it now competes on some levels with
In the meantime, others in the market (and other markets) will continue to apply pressure to get better access to the Java language/platform, simply because in terms of languages and platforms, openness is advantageous for everyone developing with it (unless you're talking to MS.)
This is a fairly insightful AC post. Thanks, Mr. A Coward, for your input.
Too bad I don't have any mod points.
As someone who is well informed as to how the Internet operates, I'm not even going to bother yelling "bullshit!" It's obvious. I'm sure there will be a hundred posts here going into great detail as to why this latest little ploy the telcos are trying is based on flawed logic.
The real issue is that these big companies will be whispering these ideas to the politicians, who of course have no clue about how the Internet works.
Even non-US citizens should bring this issue up with their government representative and inform about the real facts, and what your views as a voting citizen are. Make insistent phone-calls. Mail well-worded letters.
And something anyone can do instead of talking about the Net Neutrality issue to their fellow nerds, is bring the issue to the non-tech public. Tell the E-mailing Moms and Pops what could happen when they try to download photos their family members have sent, tell the teenagers what could happen to their MySpace access or their Skype connection.
The future of the Internet is at stake, dammit, and no citizen of any country is safe until we have widely recognized, firm laws that make sure the public, global Internet belongs to the people and their free speech!
FTA: ...nobody can hope to control the Internet.
The big telecom companies beg to differ.
(See: Net Neutrality
"So where are you young mainframe people learning how to use mainframes?"
;)
*crickets chirp in the background*
I don't think there are any "young mainframe people".
On a more serious note, I would suspect that any new "mainframe people" (should they exist) would be employed somewhere they are learning from the "old mainframe people", so that they can keep the big iron running when their predecessors retire.
Eeg, I hope people don't take that post as sounding too hostile towards our Chinese friends. Heck, to be perfectly honest, I would be suspicious if IBM was selling fresh mainframes to the US government.
*dons tinfoil hat and heads for his lead-lined bunker*
"The announcement of the low-end mainframe was made in China, which I.B.M. regards as a promising market for the machines."
Way to go IBM, supplying fresh "bricks" for the Great Firewall. I mean, I'm not trying to start a China-bashing-fest, but I can think of quite a few applications China might have for mainframe computers that a Westerner might find... a little unnerving.
In communist China, the mainframe schedules time with YOU!
welcome our robotic tentacle overlords.
...
I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist. :(
I wonder if we'll see an increase in "bounty" based development. It certainly seems likely. A large number of smaller F/OSS projects also offer a significant monetary prize or "bounty" for someone who can implement tech to solve a specified need, want or problem. The Google Summer of Code is also, in my mind, a similar deal.
This stands in contrast to older, beaurocratic methods that are closed and contract-based.
This new openness is, in my opinion, closer to the ideals of a free market than the latter mentioned system.
At first glance, I'm interested, and yet I can't help shake the feeling that there's something rather clumsy about these devices. There is definitely something appealing about the "bigger than a PDA, smaller than a laptop" form-factor, but as I've seen mentioned already this seems like a solution waiting for the problem. My 3 cents about what's holding these types of tech back:
1) Input
So far, it's hard to beat a keyboard for actually getting stuff done. Even when playing games, I tend to like having lots of little keys to use instead of a chunky controller with buttons, knobs and levers. Touch screens will do for a pointing device, although touching a screen is less continuous than holding a mouse, so mice still have their advantages. Still, touch screens are very useful for some things (market checkouts or anything with an incremental flow of finite options) and I'd like to see them become more commonplace, but you still can't use them for text entry.
2) Software and Flexibility
TFA also mentions that the "Pepper Pad" also lacks useful preloaded software (eg. a calendar). Hardware is useless without some intelligent, useable software to run on it. Also, the Pepper Pad would make a wonderful handheld media device if not for the price tag, which begs that the device be used as more than just a replacement for a portable DVD player. As per the "solution waiting for a problem" comment, people are yet to really think of what software you'd want specifically for a device like this, with these abilities, that you can carry with you.
3) Internet Availability, Battery Power (Wirelessness)
This last one is rather simple, in that an Internet-aware device is useful for accessing all that the Web and Net have to offer... provided you have access to the Internet. Wi-Fi is still far from obiquitious. And, if a device needs to suckle on a wall socket (or a car's 12V plug) after 45 mins of heavy use, its not really very "wireless" or "portable".
And there are my 3 cents.
*cough* *sputter*
... I'm sorry... this isn't Web 2.0, this is Web 1996... this is... this is... I couldn't even cope with TFA, it was giving me horrible flashbacks from back when I wrote IE-only webpages because I didn't know any better.
...who are you people, and what have you done with Slashdot?
Seriously, I'm not trying to troll, I'm genuinely at a loss for words here... how... what...???
While as a Westerner I may be rather disturbed by the "sacrifices for the greater good" tone of the parent post, I think it's good to hear the other side of the story. Mod parent up.
While I may strongly disagree with asking people to give up freedom so that a government structure can maintain "stability", the parent also has a point that while there are large numbers of citizens living long, happy lives, the situation isn't black and white (there is no "great evil", as the parent put it. Things are more complicated than that, despite what certain American politicians might have you believe.)
That said, I myself believe that humans, on the whole, need and desire the freedom to live without someone else having power over their lives. I'm not saying that current Western ideals are all that great, but they're definitely a step in the right direction, and I strongly disagree with the power the Chinese government has and exerts.
I'm not sure if 62 is anywhere near correct when it comes to China jailing internet dissent. Who's to know? China is very secretive and evasive when it comes to releasing numbers, even numbers that most governments take pretty seriously.
And who cares about whether the "jailable offense" is on the internet, or in a newspaper, or in a diary? If the Chinese government thinks a citizen has the word "democracy" (for example) in their head, there is a good chance they can just lock them up, throw away the key, and nobody will ever know.
Or not. It's impossible for anyone outside of the "Inner Party" to know what's really going on. And even Western governments have a tendency to say things that are a little... off... of the real truth...
No need to be rude. I'm not claiming I know how to run EA or anything. I'm just saying what I've heard and how it makes sense from my perspective: Treating employees like slave labor probably won't get you huge productivity gains in the long run. According to the well-known ea_spouse blog, EA can be very rough on its employees. And according to the recent lawsuit, it has been found by the court that EA hasn't been treating their employees fairly.
If you work at EA and think your experiences say something to the contrary, please feel free to elaborate and enlighten us. But don't insult me for putting in my two cents.
"as well as hurting their "efficiency" by having to let developers work less hours"
I think you are being sarcastic here, but I felt I should point out: As I've heard from the ea_spouse blog and many other places, the way that EA uses their employees is not "efficient". Just because they had them working like dogs from 9am - 10pm all week long does not mean that they were being efficient. There are quite a few reasons for this, such as the fact that an employee is only really worth their wage when they are rested and energetic enough to be fully productive. Also several things to do with the environment (or lack thereof) EA provided for their employees, and their style of management, are factors that I would think lead to poor efficiency.
What EA did with their employees may have worked had whips and granite blocks been involved, but these are creative and intellectual workers, so EA's attempt to maximize how much they get from an employee was extremely counterproductive.
Perhaps now that the lawsuit has clued them in, EA will change their employee management style to something that is actually efficient, as opposed to just unnecessary brutality. For the sake of their employees, let us hope so.