That is not a good idea at all. First off, it gives the politicians too much of a chance to get their grubby little paws in an industry where they don't belong. Secondly, government subsidization means that Joe Q. Taxpayer foots the bill. It's bad enough that I have to pay stupid surcharges for my internet access already. Why should I be paying taxes so that John D. AOLuser can have high speed access to the world's dummest ISP? No thanks. It would be nice if there was fiber layed around, but not at public expense. Around here, there a number of new apartment and suburb developments which are putting down fiber for their infrastructure, but that bill is being footed up front by the private sector and passed on to the folks that rent or buy housing there. That's the way it should be. What I want to see is the so called *baby bells* be a lot more cooperative in allowing ISPs to offer fast access at reasonable prices.
Well, one thing I am particularly aware of, residing in the city which is either tops or second in terms of traffic, is being able to get to a job. Atlanta is definitely the worst city in the US in terms of urban sprawl, and traffic here becomes more unbearable on a daily basis. Thus, effective rapid transit (we don't have much here) or a reasonable system of roads would be a key factor in where I choose to work. High speed internet access, oft mentioned in others' responses, is all crucial. I am currently forced to choose between 400Kbps DSL, or a cable modem from a provider which never got above 200Kbps. Also, affordable housing is important. However, the one factor that I see as most important is money. Atlanta has lots of IT jobs, but they aren't paying squat. I've seen this situation elsewhere. If a city wants geeks and people like that, they need to be willing to pay them. I carry three industry certifications, a college degree, and five years of IT experience. Theoretically, I should be making a lot more than I am. That's why a city like Atlanta, where the cost of living is outrageous, the traffic makes hell seem pretty tame, and the lack of adequate pay is not going to hold me for much longer. I'm not talking about Silicon Valley, either. That place is just a lot of hype and way too expensive. I wouldn't mind being in a city like Charlotte, NC, or in the Research Triangle Park area. I want 6 figures dammit!
My choice of spiritous beverage for this New Year's eve is also Bushmill Irish Whiskey. I am quite fond of it, and have found it to be one of the smoothest whiskeys I have consumed. Naturally, the smoothness of the whiskey will be very important as the world collapses about our ears. Secondly, Bass is one of my favorites, ranking approximately the same as Guinness and Caffrey's on my beer list (in other words, tied for #1). I am pleased that there are other people in the world who feel that it is important to go out in style. As for *millenium* plans, I intend to be on the web seeing what havoc is wreaked by the Y2K failures . Perhaps my Bushmill will keep me happy enough to not notice the world choking on its last polluted breaths. Hey, if not, at least I'll see the world through blurred vision at the last.
Man, oh man. Those boys over at Microsoft are trying to make it sound as if they invented the web "way back" in 1994! Can you believe that? They talk about one server sitting under a desk that some guy kept switching off by mistake. Hey, switching off a box running NT is no mistake; it is an honorable act. They have a screen shot of one of their early pages. It's pretty amusing. http://www.microsoft.com/library/images/gifs/stori es/flshbk_starmap.gif Now everybody together, let's slashdot 'em!
Oh yes, they do have an accounting program. It's called Microsoft Money. How did they come up with MS Money? Could it be that they copied Quicken? Maybe? Just a little bit? What I want to see is the folks over at Intuit put out a Linux version of Quicken and their other products. They don't even have to GPL it. Back to the topic at hand, I'm guessing that Microsoft probably was using their own software. Hey, remember what happened when they tried to run Hotmail itself on NT? Maybe Microsoft will release a product for doing your taxes. They could call it MS FastTax, and it would offer you the ability to pay your taxes electronically via the internet. Now, how would the IRS feel about that one? Maybe MS would offer Mr. Chaney a $35 tax deduction?
I'm going to go a little bit out on a limb here and attempt to argue a plausible defense for the posting of this article. Off the record, I would agree with some of what you say, especially that it seems to be written in the fashion of a taunt. However, slashdot, at least as I see it, is a site which is dedicated, for the most part, to presenting information about science and technology from a perspective that is not necessarily in line with the stuff that pops up on cnet, cnn, etc. Therefore, if/. hired a journalism student as you suggest, I think that the effect would be to make/. a more "normal" or regular type of news site. There is no question that a story about the internet, its creation, its usage, and its future falls under the news areas usually covered by slashot. Additionally, the story also relates to how the general Windows PC using public views the internet. I don't doubt that other stories have been posted on slashdot that had similar story lines, but I feel that understanding how the general public views the internet and PCs is a crucial part of understanding how to teach them about the parts of the internet and the IT industry that they don't see. The article is written to cater to the general public, but for those of us who exclude ourselves from that group of users, whether it is because we use Linux, BSD, even Mac or Windows, or whatever (I say that we exclude ourselves because we demonstrate a desire to learn and to understand), the article tells us much about how the internet is perceived. Granted, the article is not particularly intelligent, but it is a useful device for didactic purposes, if nothing else. Well, perhaps I have not expressed myself in the clearest fashion possible, but I think that I successfully conveyed the basic message I wished.
Hmm, have you noticed what Bill Grates is worth? And he only sold an operating system that he claimed to work... Imagine what this guy could make selling a power source or ufo or whatever that is just a sham!
I am inclined to agree with you. I do not have the extensive knowledge of physics or any other field that would be effected by a unified theory to dismiss this matter out of hand, but like any scientist I am imbued with a very healthy level of skepticism about any matter until it has become accepted by virtue of consistent failure to disprove it. It would be really neat to think about all the nice toys and benefits that are mentioned in the article, but since when has life ever been that simple. No, let us allow this man and his company to pursue their ends, and when they are ready to subject this matter to proper review, we shall see what we shall see. Until then, I'm not ditching my cold fusion generator.
Well, even though Al Gore invented the internet while he was tobacco farming in Tennessee, I just cannot give him my vote. Nor Jeff Bezos, for that matter. Not even my two favorite Bills, Gates & Clinton. While Slobodan Milosovic crossed my mind, even he was not the person I consider most influential. Steve Jobs and the resurrection of Apple was an important story, but still not my choice. My vote gets split between Janet el Reno and Ken "Shining" Starr. They are the biggest ballbusters of the year, and I appreciate their work. Normally I would be opposed to them, but sometimes even devils can do good deeds. Rah!
Okay, so now we know why MS was looking to hire Linux experts. Apparently they have now hired at least one person who might or might not have ever booted Linux. Now, will Microsoft give us an instruction page on how to uninstall IE? And why is SMS (systems management server) a tool and NetBus, BackOrifice, etc. are all viruses? But seriously, I really could not care less that MS is telling folks how to uninstall Linux. Anyone capable of installing Linux should be capable of uninstalling (as if anyone would want to do such a thing). Also, I have noticed of late that there are many pro-MS/. readers. Pro-FUDders, if you will. Yes, they have the right to speak freely, but I can't help but begin to wonder where they are coming from. If they are so hellbent on promoting MS, there are lots of pro-MS sites on the net. And I'm willing to bet they are not going to convert any Linux, Mac, BeOS, BSD, etc. users who come here to get away from FUDville. Uninstall this, Microsoft.
Hmm, I am both home user and IT manager at different times. I am not a programmer. The only argument I ever hear from pro-MSers is that MS offers support. Have you ever called MS for that great support? How's about a $240 per incident charge? Yeah, they've got TechNet, the oversized, overpromoted, underachieving online help database. Come on now, how often can you plug in a problem, actually get a hit, and then find something other than "this is a known issue." Many people seem to have ignored the fact that, starting with IE4, IE became a forced integration into Windows. I cannot say that I like Windows, especially because of the ubiquitous BSOD, but I dislike even more being forced to use somebody's browser to look at the files on my hard drive. How dare they? As an IT manager, I dislike being forced to use one product simply because I purchased another. How would you like to buy a new car that could only be purchased with a 2 ton trailer permanently attached? Would you like to tow that extra weight around? MS should not force me to use their 2 ton trailer with an already sluggish vehicle called Windows. My opposition to MS, even at a more basic level than name calling, is that their products do not perform as advertised. MS only seems to care about getting out the next version, which is always just a prettified and dolled up instance of the old version, so that they can make that next dollar. Yes, that is good capitalism, but at some point they will be burned, and burned severely, for not producing quality. I have managed to crash my Linux boxes a total of twice in the 2+ years I have used Linux. Windows crashed twice in the first hour after I ran setup. I could not even begin to count the number of BSODs, fatal exceptions, and miscellaneous system failures I have seen on Windows PCs. While IE is not quite as unstable as Windows, and I will grant you that IE 5 is less unstable than IE4 and earlier, I have seen IE crash way more times than I would like. I have yet to crash Netscape on Linux. And even if I got sick and tired of using Netscape, here's the real kicker.... I CAN UNINSTALL IT. Many less complaints would be heard if MS would allow people to get rid of IE and not be forced to pay for its development. Instead, MS puts out FUD screaming about how IE is a tightly integrated application that is a fundamental part of the underlying code of the advanced performance blah blah blah. Bullshit. It's a web browser. And yes, I know, if I don't like it, I can buy a Mac, or install Linux, FreeBSD, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum. But what if Joe HomeUser is too scared of Linux to install it. He wants his little Windows box so he can sit and go frag crazy playing his little shoot 'em up games, but he doesn't want IE. He prefers Netscape, or Opera, or even NCSA mosaic. Anyone who sticks up for MS on this issue, which they have the right to do, is just wrong. I dislike the DOJ and the federal gov't, but for once, mind you once, they are the lesser of two evils. MS should not be forced to split up, or disband, just to stop cramming IE down the throats of folks who don't want it.
Hey, can we next start posting naked photos of Bill Grates in the shower? I'm sure that some chicks (and even some dudes) out there want to see how a $100 billion + man is decked out.
From the pages of Isaac Asimov came a real company that called itself US Robotics, named after Asimov's US Robotics and Mechanical Men. It's about time we had another movie based on Asimov's work. The man was very nearly the most prolific author of the 20th century, and one of the most underrated. I personally hold over 100 of his books, and that is only a small portion of what he wrote. The man was a genius. Despite the presence of Robin Williams and that annoying little brat from the Pepsi ads, I will go see the movie. No matter what the movie does, it is still Asimov. I will be loyal to Asimov to the very end. Any movie or work that is made based on his stuff, I will feel obliged to check out. Asimov was just that cool. Any person who considers him or her self a sci-fi fan has not earned that title until they have at least read 10 or more Asimov works. If you don't like Asimov, that is your privilege, but do me a favor and stop wasting the free oxygen in my atmosphere.
Whatever you may wish to believe, the Athlon is a better chip at any clock speed than Intel's PIII. I, for one, have made a point to be Intel free as much as I can. All 3 PC's that I own are AMD powered. If I could afford to, I would go with something with more raw horsepower, but for the $69 I spent on my K6-2 400, I don't really care that Intel just released a chip that costs over $850. Similarly, I wouldn't drop $700 on an Athlon. Soon, those prices will fall, and I am content with trailing edge technology. In a few months, I'll be sitting playing with a quad Athlon system that I'll put together for less than the cost of a single PIII system today. No, there is no pissing contest. Intel couldn't piss their way out of a wet paper sack. AMD can, Compaq's alpha could, and any number of other fine chips out there could, but piss on Intel.
Well, it's a fairly simple matter to have revenues of $54 million and a net loss of $36 million. Revenue is (to oversimplify a bit) the amount of money brought in. Net income (or loss) is essentially income minus expenses. In this case, that means that Red Hat spent more than they took in. Most accountants would accuse me of tragically oversimplifying this matter, but that is my right as an American. On another tack, RedHat's revenues were significantly higher this year than one year ago. That is a good sign. Now it's up to management to turn those higher revenues into a net profit. I am not exactly a RedHat fan, because I believe that RedHat is showing some early signs of Microsoftian corporatism, and that is highly counterproductive to the open source movement. However, I must temper my anti-RedHat sentiments with the facts that a) they are promoting a better product than Microsoft has ever created, b) they are open source contributors, and c) it's just plain Linux. We all take a few bitter pills, so I guess I'll reluctantly throw in my support for RedHat's continued success.
You need to try buy.com. If it's books you're after, they've got that. Computer equip, home stereo, music, etc. I've had good luck dealing with them in the past, and have even found a couple of specials on their site that have really kicked ass. I think that buy.com is much better than amazon, as far as e-commerce goes. However, I'm still waiting for a massive e-commerce site that is powered solely by Linux & Apache. Even Netscrape's products are questionable these days. Especially since Netscrape can't seem to get that communicator 5.0 out.
Insert history geek commentary: Hitler did not exactly detail the "Final Solution" until considerably later in the game, when he and some of his boys got together at a conference held for that purpose. "Final Solution" was not really part of Mein Kampf; that book was just about afixing blame on someone other than Franz Josef for Germany's blunders and subsequent punishment in WWI. Now, back on topic. A&E picked Alan Greenspan as their Biography of the Year. I also recall Yasir Arafat getting Time's Man O' the Year. And sharing a Nobel Peace Prize. Hey, the goons in the mainstream media have to laud someone. They really think they control what goes on. But an award is so arbitrary and unimpressive, that most people end up exactly where they started: not giving a rat's ass! I'm really surprised that this little news blurb made it on/. anyway. I'm sure that someone will say "Oh, it's the first time a.com businessman (or insert technojargon phrase here) has won such a prestigious award." Yeah, so what? The real award that Bezos has gotten can be seen in his bank account. Time Magazine? PFEH!!!
This clip is way too reminiscent of a certain Beastie Boys video. And I must disagree with the statement that this is better than the original South Park. Not a chance. While Vendetta was mildly entertaining, it looks like the creators spent way too much time effort on a joke that wasn't terribly funny to start with. I must state, however, that Vendetta was better than the Blair Witch Project, so by extrapolation this little clip should get its creators well on the road to fame and fortune. Kinda sucks, don't it?
I don't know what your beef is with southerners. I don't care what it is, either. I dare say that you learned everything you believe you know about the south from equally ignorant television and movie productions. Obviously you would not fit the profile in the intelligence category. Ah, but I digress. Do you vote? I'll bet I could guess which party you vote for, too. No matter. Most of these comments are no more interesting than a hearty session of watching paint dry. So many canned responses about 1984. So many people blaming every other person but themselves. Let's face facts folks, if we want change, we must be the orchestrators. No one else can do it. Left alone, things will only continue to decline. Are we the future leaders? The intellectual elite? Then let us take matters into our own hands. We do not lack the capabilities, only the will to use them. And that is something we can, for the moment, control.
Has Microsoft forgotten about a certain Navy vessel which tried to run NT and ended up being towed in because their navigation systems were dead after NT CRASHED??!! Or how about the MS fiasco with Hotmail? Remember when they tried to switch Hotmail to NT after they bought that site? They had to switch immediately back because NT couldn't handle the load. And one more "anecdote" for MS: yesterday my NT workstation bluescreened when I clicked the cute little X box to close a window.
Slashdot Mirror
That is not a good idea at all. First off, it gives the politicians too much of a chance to get their grubby little paws in an industry where they don't belong. Secondly, government subsidization means that Joe Q. Taxpayer foots the bill. It's bad enough that I have to pay stupid surcharges for my internet access already. Why should I be paying taxes so that John D. AOLuser can have high speed access to the world's dummest ISP? No thanks. It would be nice if there was fiber layed around, but not at public expense. Around here, there a number of new apartment and suburb developments which are putting down fiber for their infrastructure, but that bill is being footed up front by the private sector and passed on to the folks that rent or buy housing there. That's the way it should be. What I want to see is the so called *baby bells* be a lot more cooperative in allowing ISPs to offer fast access at reasonable prices.
Well, one thing I am particularly aware of, residing in the city which is either tops or second in terms of traffic, is being able to get to a job. Atlanta is definitely the worst city in the US in terms of urban sprawl, and traffic here becomes more unbearable on a daily basis. Thus, effective rapid transit (we don't have much here) or a reasonable system of roads would be a key factor in where I choose to work. High speed internet access, oft mentioned in others' responses, is all crucial. I am currently forced to choose between 400Kbps DSL, or a cable modem from a provider which never got above 200Kbps. Also, affordable housing is important. However, the one factor that I see as most important is money. Atlanta has lots of IT jobs, but they aren't paying squat. I've seen this situation elsewhere. If a city wants geeks and people like that, they need to be willing to pay them. I carry three industry certifications, a college degree, and five years of IT experience. Theoretically, I should be making a lot more than I am. That's why a city like Atlanta, where the cost of living is outrageous, the traffic makes hell seem pretty tame, and the lack of adequate pay is not going to hold me for much longer. I'm not talking about Silicon Valley, either. That place is just a lot of hype and way too expensive. I wouldn't mind being in a city like Charlotte, NC, or in the Research Triangle Park area. I want 6 figures dammit!
My choice of spiritous beverage for this New Year's eve is also Bushmill Irish Whiskey. I am quite fond of it, and have found it to be one of the smoothest whiskeys I have consumed. Naturally, the smoothness of the whiskey will be very important as the world collapses about our ears. Secondly, Bass is one of my favorites, ranking approximately the same as Guinness and Caffrey's on my beer list (in other words, tied for #1). I am pleased that there are other people in the world who feel that it is important to go out in style. As for *millenium* plans, I intend to be on the web seeing what havoc is wreaked by the Y2K failures . Perhaps my Bushmill will keep me happy enough to not notice the world choking on its last polluted breaths. Hey, if not, at least I'll see the world through blurred vision at the last.
Hey, another thread about Holiday stuff.
Troll.
Man, oh man. Those boys over at Microsoft are trying to make it sound as if they invented the web "way back" in 1994! Can you believe that? They talk about one server sitting under a desk that some guy kept switching off by mistake. Hey, switching off a box running NT is no mistake; it is an honorable act. They have a screen shot of one of their early pages. It's pretty amusing. http://www.microsoft.com/library/images/gifs/stori es/flshbk_starmap.gif Now everybody together, let's slashdot 'em!
Oh yes, they do have an accounting program. It's called Microsoft Money. How did they come up with MS Money? Could it be that they copied Quicken? Maybe? Just a little bit? What I want to see is the folks over at Intuit put out a Linux version of Quicken and their other products. They don't even have to GPL it. Back to the topic at hand, I'm guessing that Microsoft probably was using their own software. Hey, remember what happened when they tried to run Hotmail itself on NT? Maybe Microsoft will release a product for doing your taxes. They could call it MS FastTax, and it would offer you the ability to pay your taxes electronically via the internet. Now, how would the IRS feel about that one? Maybe MS would offer Mr. Chaney a $35 tax deduction?
I'm going to go a little bit out on a limb here and attempt to argue a plausible defense for the posting of this article. Off the record, I would agree with some of what you say, especially that it seems to be written in the fashion of a taunt. However, slashdot, at least as I see it, is a site which is dedicated, for the most part, to presenting information about science and technology from a perspective that is not necessarily in line with the stuff that pops up on cnet, cnn, etc. Therefore, if /. hired a journalism student as you suggest, I think that the effect would be to make /. a more "normal" or regular type of news site. There is no question that a story about the internet, its creation, its usage, and its future falls under the news areas usually covered by slashot. Additionally, the story also relates to how the general Windows PC using public views the internet. I don't doubt that other stories have been posted on slashdot that had similar story lines, but I feel that understanding how the general public views the internet and PCs is a crucial part of understanding how to teach them about the parts of the internet and the IT industry that they don't see. The article is written to cater to the general public, but for those of us who exclude ourselves from that group of users, whether it is because we use Linux, BSD, even Mac or Windows, or whatever (I say that we exclude ourselves because we demonstrate a desire to learn and to understand), the article tells us much about how the internet is perceived. Granted, the article is not particularly intelligent, but it is a useful device for didactic purposes, if nothing else. Well, perhaps I have not expressed myself in the clearest fashion possible, but I think that I successfully conveyed the basic message I wished.
Hmm, have you noticed what Bill Grates is worth? And he only sold an operating system that he claimed to work... Imagine what this guy could make selling a power source or ufo or whatever that is just a sham!
I am inclined to agree with you. I do not have the extensive knowledge of physics or any other field that would be effected by a unified theory to dismiss this matter out of hand, but like any scientist I am imbued with a very healthy level of skepticism about any matter until it has become accepted by virtue of consistent failure to disprove it. It would be really neat to think about all the nice toys and benefits that are mentioned in the article, but since when has life ever been that simple. No, let us allow this man and his company to pursue their ends, and when they are ready to subject this matter to proper review, we shall see what we shall see. Until then, I'm not ditching my cold fusion generator.
Well, even though Al Gore invented the internet while he was tobacco farming in Tennessee, I just cannot give him my vote. Nor Jeff Bezos, for that matter. Not even my two favorite Bills, Gates & Clinton. While Slobodan Milosovic crossed my mind, even he was not the person I consider most influential. Steve Jobs and the resurrection of Apple was an important story, but still not my choice. My vote gets split between Janet el Reno and Ken "Shining" Starr. They are the biggest ballbusters of the year, and I appreciate their work. Normally I would be opposed to them, but sometimes even devils can do good deeds. Rah!
Okay, so now we know why MS was looking to hire Linux experts. Apparently they have now hired at least one person who might or might not have ever booted Linux. Now, will Microsoft give us an instruction page on how to uninstall IE? And why is SMS (systems management server) a tool and NetBus, BackOrifice, etc. are all viruses? But seriously, I really could not care less that MS is telling folks how to uninstall Linux. Anyone capable of installing Linux should be capable of uninstalling (as if anyone would want to do such a thing). Also, I have noticed of late that there are many pro-MS /. readers. Pro-FUDders, if you will. Yes, they have the right to speak freely, but I can't help but begin to wonder where they are coming from. If they are so hellbent on promoting MS, there are lots of pro-MS sites on the net. And I'm willing to bet they are not going to convert any Linux, Mac, BeOS, BSD, etc. users who come here to get away from FUDville. Uninstall this, Microsoft.
Hmm, I am both home user and IT manager at different times. I am not a programmer. The only argument I ever hear from pro-MSers is that MS offers support. Have you ever called MS for that great support? How's about a $240 per incident charge? Yeah, they've got TechNet, the oversized, overpromoted, underachieving online help database. Come on now, how often can you plug in a problem, actually get a hit, and then find something other than "this is a known issue." Many people seem to have ignored the fact that, starting with IE4, IE became a forced integration into Windows. I cannot say that I like Windows, especially because of the ubiquitous BSOD, but I dislike even more being forced to use somebody's browser to look at the files on my hard drive. How dare they? As an IT manager, I dislike being forced to use one product simply because I purchased another. How would you like to buy a new car that could only be purchased with a 2 ton trailer permanently attached? Would you like to tow that extra weight around? MS should not force me to use their 2 ton trailer with an already sluggish vehicle called Windows. My opposition to MS, even at a more basic level than name calling, is that their products do not perform as advertised. MS only seems to care about getting out the next version, which is always just a prettified and dolled up instance of the old version, so that they can make that next dollar. Yes, that is good capitalism, but at some point they will be burned, and burned severely, for not producing quality. I have managed to crash my Linux boxes a total of twice in the 2+ years I have used Linux. Windows crashed twice in the first hour after I ran setup. I could not even begin to count the number of BSODs, fatal exceptions, and miscellaneous system failures I have seen on Windows PCs. While IE is not quite as unstable as Windows, and I will grant you that IE 5 is less unstable than IE4 and earlier, I have seen IE crash way more times than I would like. I have yet to crash Netscape on Linux. And even if I got sick and tired of using Netscape, here's the real kicker.... I CAN UNINSTALL IT. Many less complaints would be heard if MS would allow people to get rid of IE and not be forced to pay for its development. Instead, MS puts out FUD screaming about how IE is a tightly integrated application that is a fundamental part of the underlying code of the advanced performance blah blah blah. Bullshit. It's a web browser. And yes, I know, if I don't like it, I can buy a Mac, or install Linux, FreeBSD, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum. But what if Joe HomeUser is too scared of Linux to install it. He wants his little Windows box so he can sit and go frag crazy playing his little shoot 'em up games, but he doesn't want IE. He prefers Netscape, or Opera, or even NCSA mosaic. Anyone who sticks up for MS on this issue, which they have the right to do, is just wrong. I dislike the DOJ and the federal gov't, but for once, mind you once, they are the lesser of two evils. MS should not be forced to split up, or disband, just to stop cramming IE down the throats of folks who don't want it.
Hey, can we next start posting naked photos of Bill Grates in the shower? I'm sure that some chicks (and even some dudes) out there want to see how a $100 billion + man is decked out.
Bicentennial Man; later made into a book called the Positronic Man, co-authored by Robert Silverberg, I believe
From the pages of Isaac Asimov came a real company that called itself US Robotics, named after Asimov's US Robotics and Mechanical Men. It's about time we had another movie based on Asimov's work. The man was very nearly the most prolific author of the 20th century, and one of the most underrated. I personally hold over 100 of his books, and that is only a small portion of what he wrote. The man was a genius. Despite the presence of Robin Williams and that annoying little brat from the Pepsi ads, I will go see the movie. No matter what the movie does, it is still Asimov. I will be loyal to Asimov to the very end. Any movie or work that is made based on his stuff, I will feel obliged to check out. Asimov was just that cool. Any person who considers him or her self a sci-fi fan has not earned that title until they have at least read 10 or more Asimov works. If you don't like Asimov, that is your privilege, but do me a favor and stop wasting the free oxygen in my atmosphere.
Whatever you may wish to believe, the Athlon is a better chip at any clock speed than Intel's PIII. I, for one, have made a point to be Intel free as much as I can. All 3 PC's that I own are AMD powered. If I could afford to, I would go with something with more raw horsepower, but for the $69 I spent on my K6-2 400, I don't really care that Intel just released a chip that costs over $850. Similarly, I wouldn't drop $700 on an Athlon. Soon, those prices will fall, and I am content with trailing edge technology. In a few months, I'll be sitting playing with a quad Athlon system that I'll put together for less than the cost of a single PIII system today. No, there is no pissing contest. Intel couldn't piss their way out of a wet paper sack. AMD can, Compaq's alpha could, and any number of other fine chips out there could, but piss on Intel.
Well, it's a fairly simple matter to have revenues of $54 million and a net loss of $36 million. Revenue is (to oversimplify a bit) the amount of money brought in. Net income (or loss) is essentially income minus expenses. In this case, that means that Red Hat spent more than they took in. Most accountants would accuse me of tragically oversimplifying this matter, but that is my right as an American. On another tack, RedHat's revenues were significantly higher this year than one year ago. That is a good sign. Now it's up to management to turn those higher revenues into a net profit. I am not exactly a RedHat fan, because I believe that RedHat is showing some early signs of Microsoftian corporatism, and that is highly counterproductive to the open source movement. However, I must temper my anti-RedHat sentiments with the facts that a) they are promoting a better product than Microsoft has ever created, b) they are open source contributors, and c) it's just plain Linux. We all take a few bitter pills, so I guess I'll reluctantly throw in my support for RedHat's continued success.
You need to try buy.com. If it's books you're after, they've got that. Computer equip, home stereo, music, etc. I've had good luck dealing with them in the past, and have even found a couple of specials on their site that have really kicked ass. I think that buy.com is much better than amazon, as far as e-commerce goes. However, I'm still waiting for a massive e-commerce site that is powered solely by Linux & Apache. Even Netscrape's products are questionable these days. Especially since Netscrape can't seem to get that communicator 5.0 out.
Insert history geek commentary: Hitler did not exactly detail the "Final Solution" until considerably later in the game, when he and some of his boys got together at a conference held for that purpose. "Final Solution" was not really part of Mein Kampf; that book was just about afixing blame on someone other than Franz Josef for Germany's blunders and subsequent punishment in WWI. Now, back on topic. A&E picked Alan Greenspan as their Biography of the Year. I also recall Yasir Arafat getting Time's Man O' the Year. And sharing a Nobel Peace Prize. Hey, the goons in the mainstream media have to laud someone. They really think they control what goes on. But an award is so arbitrary and unimpressive, that most people end up exactly where they started: not giving a rat's ass! I'm really surprised that this little news blurb made it on /. anyway. I'm sure that someone will say "Oh, it's the first time a .com businessman (or insert technojargon phrase here) has won such a prestigious award." Yeah, so what? The real award that Bezos has gotten can be seen in his bank account. Time Magazine? PFEH!!!
This clip is way too reminiscent of a certain Beastie Boys video. And I must disagree with the statement that this is better than the original South Park. Not a chance. While Vendetta was mildly entertaining, it looks like the creators spent way too much time effort on a joke that wasn't terribly funny to start with. I must state, however, that Vendetta was better than the Blair Witch Project, so by extrapolation this little clip should get its creators well on the road to fame and fortune. Kinda sucks, don't it?
I don't know what your beef is with southerners. I don't care what it is, either. I dare say that you learned everything you believe you know about the south from equally ignorant television and movie productions. Obviously you would not fit the profile in the intelligence category. Ah, but I digress. Do you vote? I'll bet I could guess which party you vote for, too. No matter. Most of these comments are no more interesting than a hearty session of watching paint dry. So many canned responses about 1984. So many people blaming every other person but themselves. Let's face facts folks, if we want change, we must be the orchestrators. No one else can do it. Left alone, things will only continue to decline. Are we the future leaders? The intellectual elite? Then let us take matters into our own hands. We do not lack the capabilities, only the will to use them. And that is something we can, for the moment, control.
Has Microsoft forgotten about a certain Navy vessel which tried to run NT and ended up being towed in because their navigation systems were dead after NT CRASHED??!! Or how about the MS fiasco with Hotmail? Remember when they tried to switch Hotmail to NT after they bought that site? They had to switch immediately back because NT couldn't handle the load. And one more "anecdote" for MS: yesterday my NT workstation bluescreened when I clicked the cute little X box to close a window.