ARCHIVE file dated September2007
Nearscape
- Posted on:
- Friday September 28 2007 3:37pm
"I am moving to Linux, because my tech skills depend on it."
This is counterintuitive to me. Now I'm not a big time developer, but isn't the reason why everyone puts up with Windows is because of Microsoft's mantra of supporting "developers, developers, developers"? Even though Microsoft themselves can't ship products like they use to, their tools (such as Visual Studio) are excellent, right? And Apple just takes charge. If it really needs doing, they do it themselves. I put up with their flaky hardware because their line of pro applications is so strong.
Who, in the Linux community, is shipping quality products at the level of Visual Studio, OSX, Pro Tools, Final Cut, Unreal Engine, etc? I'm sorry, there's a difference between having a million buggy, open source media players to choose from, and having one iTunes ruling them all. It seems to me that Linux is great for talking philosophy, not so great for GETTING SHIT DONE. Aren't your tech skills in some way tied to getting shit done?
Intrigue
- Posted on:
- Friday September 28 2007 12:56pm
@nearscape:
Great ars post, one hell of a post, about 1/2 hr in to it i started skimming a bit more and more.
i think this sums up the outlook for apple OSX vs Ubuntu
"If I were working on a Unix-based operating system, I'd be borrowing ideas and code from Apple like there's no tomorrow. Apple has certainly been smart enough to pull in the opposite direction, basing a huge part of its OS (particular its server OS) on open source Unix projects. Apple has returned the favor by contributing to many of those projects: FreeBSD, gcc, KHTML/KJS, etc. When Apple comes calling with their own open source Unix creations, I think it's foolish not to pay attention."
and
"In early 2002, Apple hired Dominic Giampaolo, the creator of the Be File System. BFS was one of the most advanced personal computer file systems of its time, with support for arbitrarily extensible file system metadata and efficient, real-time search queries. Dominic wrote an excellent book about BFS, and file system design in general. The book is out of print now, but it's available as a free download. Even today, BFS's features and performance are not matched by many commonly used file systems."
If you look at the the development of the Apple OS, they have a few major advantages.
1. they are willing to piss off developers and users with change, MS is completely unwilling to do this.
2. they are intelligently borrowing more from the community than MS ever did, apple has open ears and hardworking do diligent designer programmers at their helm that are herald to be bold through secrecy, what apple does is its own business until its ready.
3. Apple stands on the footsteps of giants and searchlight and quartz stand on the giants of Microsoft, Google, Sun, nVidia, AMD/ATI, Linux, EPIC Games, and ID software. The design of spotlight was borrowed from web standards for search, and quartz was based on the work done to make great games. Direct X changed the marketplace and lead API specifications for graphics cards. Apple is capitalizing on these interfaces in creative and bold ways, and now that they have Linux will be soon to follow.
4. Apple does not actually innovate! They design. They take what is available, and what has failed and they correctly bring it all together. They do this better than any other group of people on the planet right now, but when are they going to lead the pack?
In a silly sort of way Apple should thank Sony, and Microsoft's XBox division for tiger, while bowing at the feet of google and their indexing technology.
My Decision to go linux is not based on who is executing better, but one of survival. If I want to innovate, Mircosoft is closing its doors further, and Apple is a walled garden taller and longer than that of China's Great Wall. I am moving to Linux, because my tech skills depend on it.
adam
- Posted on:
- Friday September 28 2007 12:32pm
@nearscape: make sure they use lots of duct tape!
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Friday September 28 2007 11:58am
5 more months of xp gaming goodness
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/34102/118/
nearscape
- Posted on:
- Friday September 28 2007 10:47am
I'm getting new ducts today at work.
I like ducts.
nearscape
- Posted on:
- Wednesday September 26 2007 12:24am
I wish I had read this article when it was written. Even years later, a few pages in it gets absolutely fascinating. Detailed, honest information about what goes on in the bowels of OSX 10.4, specifically behind Spotlight and other HFS+/HFSX "arbitrarily extensible" metadata tricks.
Whisky might benefit most, being new to Macs. Or Kruger, who we may yet prevent from impaling himself on the Linux spear once and for all.
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10-4.ars
Ooh! The bit about how to juice up those Spotlight queries from the command line! That's hot! Other stuff that seems to still be lurking down at the BSD level in 10.4, that might get a little GUI loving in 10.5. We'll soon find out!
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Saturday September 22 2007 5:50pm
some halo humor
http://www.loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/228
CrowScape
- Posted on:
- Saturday September 22 2007 1:20am
Yeah, I was watching some gameplay demos, and I see very little smart play going on. A bunch of videos showed games on TwoForts, and either they significantly changed the map, or not a single player thought to use the water route into the other team's base. The latter would not surprise me.
Still, as the spy now has a cloak in addition to his disguises, he should be useful even when team damage isn't at 100%. (Remember, everyone gets a bullet)
nearscape
- Posted on:
- Friday September 21 2007 4:50pm
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/09/21
I know CrowScape will appreciate this. It seems that TF2 players aren't much smarter than TF1 players. Ego boost, here I come!
nearscape
- Posted on:
- Tuesday September 18 2007 3:24pm
For the Old School event, are the 7th or the 21st better than the 14th? 21st is pretty close to Christmas. Doesn't bother me, but I don't know if everyone else has travel plans.
nearscape
- Posted on:
- Monday September 17 2007 12:13pm
This one's mainly for Whisky. Stranglehold PC demo is out.
http://beyondunreal.com/daedalus/singlepost.php?id=10976
adam
- Posted on:
- Friday September 14 2007 7:58am
But didn't you know macs could do anything?
Oh and btw.. Because I'm on super l337 Linux right now I was totally able to get your password just by thinking about it and reprogram all the traffic lights so I get to work in less than 2 minutes.
/attempt at being funny
-A
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Thursday September 13 2007 12:50pm
"you can't just upload a virus to the mothership"
this is a funny explanation of the former mention
http://www.cracked.com/index.php?name=News&sid=2377&pageid=5
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Thursday September 13 2007 9:03am
its this sort of crap that points out why I DO NOT WANT THE GOVERNMENT in my life unless i MUST BE.
http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Man_Arrested_after_Saying_No_to_Prostitute
I can not trust anyone paid by the government, who knows what their reasons are for doing anything, everyone is just a little bit evil, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
thank GOD, this guys wife and child were with when this happened, otherwise they never would have believed his story and he would have lost his car, his wife, and his kid.
GOVERNMENT SUCKS
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Thursday September 13 2007 7:46am
robots are the new pirates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAO4EVMlpwM
CrowScape
- Posted on:
- Monday September 10 2007 12:42am
Playing around with SupCom: The Aeon's Tech 3 shield is actually the strongest shield in the game: 20% stronger than the UEF's and nearly 30% stronger than a fully upgraded Cybrian shield. It also has the lowest energy drain (300 versus the UEF's 400 and the Cybrian's 500), so that offsets some of the disadvantage of not getting an adjacency bonus. Of course, its much more restricted range is a significant drawback. However, even with that in mind, it is better than the Cybrian's, which in addition to being weaker also recharge significantly slower (again, 30% slower, which is why I tend to laugh off the odd couple of Scarabs when I'm Aeon: the shields regenerate too quickly for them). Still, it seems the UEF has the best balance in terms of strength, coverage, size, and resource use.
nearscape
- Posted on:
- Sunday September 9 2007 10:35am
At bucketworks? In any case I'm ready, I bought a Torque license today.
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Saturday September 8 2007 10:16am
just as a note, barcamp is a go for October 12th-14th.
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Saturday September 8 2007 10:16am
this one is for bosar, these are some long escalators
http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/worlds-longest-escalator/offbeat-news
adam
- Posted on:
- Friday September 7 2007 11:34am
Yes! Who needs the defibrillator when you have whiskey?!
-A
intrigue
- Posted on:
- Thursday September 6 2007 9:27am
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/09/dayintech_0906
another use for whiskey, maybe the korporate engine has a plan for whisky, maybe it could revive you??????
you need to read this short and amazing story.
adam
- Posted on:
- Wednesday September 5 2007 1:02pm
If the 14th is decided like in the next couple of weeks, I can ask for the weekend off and actually get to an event!
-A
CrowScape
- Posted on:
- Wednesday September 5 2007 12:29pm
I believe I have a final exam that weekend.
NearScape
- Posted on:
- Wednesday September 5 2007 9:09am
Thanks to everyone who came out for the gathering! I really appreciate it.
It is traditional this time of year to plan for an Old School event in December. I was thinking about the 14th. Any concerns? Is school out by then?
nearscape
- Posted on:
- Sunday September 2 2007 1:20am
Wii Tanks FTW!
adam
- Posted on:
- Saturday September 1 2007 11:35am
Geek-Kon: http://tinyurl.com/2st7ok
