I once heard that the reason everything falls downwards is that everything that falls UPWARDS (or sideways) have long since disappeared into space, and have therefore not been able to breed. So everything that's still here on Earth has the "fall downwards"-gene still present.
Isn't there a difference between having access to the source code and having access to the data that the source code can deliver (i.e the real value)? (And I'm mainly talking about web-based services here, not OSes or gadgets etc.)
Sure, open APIs don't give access to the inner workings of the underlying software, but that's not always a critical factor. The value of having access to the data perhaps outweighs the risk of not knowing exactly how that data is generated. For example, a lot of public utility companies are (finally!) opening up their data to the public so that whoever can build a thingamajig based on public data. The most important thing is that I can get easy access to that data, not neccessarily that I can have full-fethered access to the code behind it. True, non-open software means the We The People have no real insight into HOW that data is crunched or WHAT data gets to be accessible, but that's kinda the situation with any data provider anyway, isn't it?
What really cracks me up are tests/reviews of tablets and mobile devices that take in boot time as a significant factor in deciding which has the best "useability". I recently saw a comparison between iPad and Galaxy Tab 7" that concluded that the Apple device booted faster and therefore, inherently, was better. Boot times can surely be important, but the percentage of time spent waiting for a mobile device to boot vs. the overall usage must be... well, small.
Slashdot Mirror
Will it blend?
I once heard that the reason everything falls downwards is that everything that falls UPWARDS (or sideways) have long since disappeared into space, and have therefore not been able to breed. So everything that's still here on Earth has the "fall downwards"-gene still present.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SNZuOHnFDk (In Swedish, but you get the idea.)
Isn't there a difference between having access to the source code and having access to the data that the source code can deliver (i.e the real value)? (And I'm mainly talking about web-based services here, not OSes or gadgets etc.) Sure, open APIs don't give access to the inner workings of the underlying software, but that's not always a critical factor. The value of having access to the data perhaps outweighs the risk of not knowing exactly how that data is generated. For example, a lot of public utility companies are (finally!) opening up their data to the public so that whoever can build a thingamajig based on public data. The most important thing is that I can get easy access to that data, not neccessarily that I can have full-fethered access to the code behind it. True, non-open software means the We The People have no real insight into HOW that data is crunched or WHAT data gets to be accessible, but that's kinda the situation with any data provider anyway, isn't it?
Does this mean that the Adnix module by S.R Hadden no longer will work?
What really cracks me up are tests/reviews of tablets and mobile devices that take in boot time as a significant factor in deciding which has the best "useability". I recently saw a comparison between iPad and Galaxy Tab 7" that concluded that the Apple device booted faster and therefore, inherently, was better. Boot times can surely be important, but the percentage of time spent waiting for a mobile device to boot vs. the overall usage must be... well, small.
Do you think they'd do the same if the tables were reversed?
No, but perhaps if the tablets were.
Well, IPv6 is already covered in the mouseover-text.
Obligatory Charles Stross link