Free Software: 3 Major Projects That Haven’t Happened Yet.
The following things do not yet exist, but I can't help but wonder why. I think if they did exist, perhaps Free Software users would have a little more pull online.
This list might expand a bit when I think of other software.
1. A Free Software Search Engine
Peek, the Free Software Search Engine
After the recent hullabullo about Ubuntu switching from Google to Yahoo/Bing as the default search provider, this lead me to wonder: What if someone were to just create a FOSS search engine that indexed Free Software/Open Source-friendly websites, as well as free content licensed under the various Creative Commons licenses? Suppose it also indexed OGG Theora videos using a bit of HTML5 code? I tell you, the benefits are endless, as it would nicely tie together all the major FOSS communities together.
By the way, that's just a mockup because I was bored.
2. OGG Theora-Based YouTube-like video sharing site
It's no secret that a lot of people are upset at YouTube for various reasons. Whether it's the poor implementation of the DMCA takedown notice procedure which is severely misused, or the fact that complete freedom of speech is blocked from YouTube, or the fact that the supported HTML5 codec is only h.264. Whatever your reason, YouTube currently is flawed when it comes to Free Speech, Free Software, or Creative Commons content. So why not just start from scratch and make something new?
3. FOSS Social Network
This idea in particular intrigues me. We already have identi.ca, and quite a lot of work has been put into OpenSocial. However, there is no FOSS centric community that has a functionality similar to Facebook. Granted, social networking platforms DO exist, and with some tweaking could even plug into identi.ca in a similar way that Twitter plugs into Facebook. Mugshot used to be a FOSS network by Red Hat, but it's not around anymore.
Sir Sane Starts an Adventure Game
So, in my bored state, I've begun some very rudimentary coding using Adventure Game Studio. Mainly because I've spent a lot of time prepping myself for the Air Force. When you're on a diet and have nothing to do all day but exercise, you might as well put your brain to good use.
So, without further ado, some screenshots of my slowly-coming-along game. It's called "No One Likes You", and is about an emo kid that gets abused and hated on by everyone. Awkward dialog options, a satire of society, and a whole lot of fucked-up humor.
Some screenies:
And here, we see the updated icons and interface.
But yeah, things are coming along nicely. Maybe if I finish it in time, I'll get it out to everyone.
Overly Dramatic Service Announcement
The following has everything to do with my YouTube trolling, and the new year.
Overly Dramatic Public Service Announcement
I'd really like if our admin could fix video embedding. That would be great.
Amiga miga miga miga CHOO CHOO! miga miga CHOO CHOO!
So, some of you may have heard about the upcoming machine from A-Eon, also referred to as "Project X" and Hyperion Entertainment's "Most Ambitious Project"
So, what do we know about this machine? Quite a lot, actually.
The first thing to bring up is that Hyperion Entertainment, the company behind developing the AmigaOS 4.x series, now has the sole legal rights to develop and distribute Amiga products, as well as continue development of AmigaOS.
"Hyperion Entertainment CVBA is pleased to announce that on September 30, 2009, it has reached a comprehensive settlement agreement with Amiga, Inc., Itec LLC and Amino Development Corporation, Inc., to bring all ongoing litigation and worldwide pending procedures between the parties to an end.
As part of the settlement agreement, the Amiga Parties acknowledge that Hyperion is the sole owner of AmigaOS 4 without prejudice to any third party rights.
Within the framework of the settlement agreement Hyperion is granted an exclusive, perpetual, worldwide right to AmigaOS 3.1 in order to use, develop, modify, commercialize, distribute and market AmigaOS 4.x (and subsequent versions of AmigaOS including without limitation AmigaOS 5) in any form, on any medium and for any current or future hardware platform under the exclusive trademark “AmigaOS” (Amiga operating system) and using other associated trademarks (such as the “BoingBall” logo).
Hyperion will continue development and distribution of AmigaOS 4.x (and beyond) as it has done since November of 2001."
The name of this machine is the AmigaOne X1000, which reflects the name of the original Amiga 1000 (the first Amiga ever shipped)
The specs are fairly ordinary at first until you look closely:
Custom case with Boing Ball
ATX Formfactor
CPU: Dual-core PowerISA™ v2.04+ CPU (Meaning PowerPC hardware)
Co-processor: "Xena" XMOS XS1-L1 128 SDS
Audio: 7.1 channel HD audio
Memory: 4× DDR2 SDRAM slots
10× USB 2.0
1× Gigabit Ethernet
2× PCIe x16 slots (1x16 or 2x8)
2× PCIe x1 slots
1× Xorro slot (giving access to "Xena")
2× PCI legacy slots
2× RS-232
4× [[SATA 2] connectors
1× IDE connector
JTAG connector
1× Compact Flash
Up until this point, I had never even heard of a "Co-Processor". What is Xorro and Xena?
Xena:
"Capable of eight concurrent real-time threads with shared memory space, at up to 400 MIPS (about 6 68060s worth), Xena gives the X1000 a very flexible, very expandable co-processor. The uses are endless; control hardware, DSP functions, robotics, display - even SID chip and console emulators. "
Xorro:
"To accompany 'Xena', we have 'Xorro', a new slot using an industry-standard PCIe x8 form factor to give access to the 'Xena' IO. This will be the route to Xena's 64 IO lines, which are dynamically configurable as input, output, or bidirectional. 'Xorro' will allow bridging Xena to external hardware for control purposes, to internal systems, or to other Xcore processors. This last point is worth more exploration; XCore is a parallel processing architecture, and if you want more power, you can simply chain more XCores together. Reference boards have been made with up to 256 cores, offering a theoretical 102400 MIPS."
Additionally, they're using an XMOS chip. What the heck is that, you ask?
"XMOS has developed several core pieces of technology including a multi-threaded multi-core processor; an interconnect switch that can route messages between cores, and a link that can be used to interconnect switches and carry traffic using a transition-based protocol."
I just want to say, ever since Ars Technica did a review of AmigaOS4, I knew I wanted it. I've heard nothing but good things about the Amiga platform, and I'm glad to see that it's slowly but surely continuing on.
Fucking sexy.
GNU Advocates and Homophobia?
I've noticed a disturbing trend lately. Can you guess what it is?
Thaaaaaaaaaat's right! Another chapter in the showdown between David "Lefty" Schlessinger, and the retarded minions of RMS. This time, instead of just discriminating against women, the Anti-Mono GNU zealots also discriminate against gays.
One of their comments:
aren’t he and Bruce Byfield a cute couple, though? They really ought to consummate their gay marriage with 40 grams of viagra each.
Er, what?
Then, Bruce Bryfield jumps in
I’ll ignore the effort at insult and go directly to your implication:
I do not support Schlesinger’s position, or the efforts of Boycott Boycott Novell, any more than I support Roy Schestowitz and Boycott Novell. Do a search, and you can find at least two instances where I make that clear.
I can interact with Schlesinger because he doesn’t become rabid because I don’t support him, and that he is able to read in context instead of indulging in intellectual bungee-jumping towards conclusions. But the interactions are on the basis of agreeing to disagree.
Everyone who opposes him would do their position a lot of good if they acted the same way. For all I know, the owner of this site may have a legitimate grievance against Schlesinger. But his obsessive posting and reposting of the same material is tiresome and counter-productive.
The same freetard comments back:
I find it homophobic of you that you classify implied gay love as an “insult”, Bruce.
Fly high, Lesbian Seagull!
So it seems that the freetards are finally playing this game.
I will just point out that I went and commented as well, as was shot down with this:
What’s so heinous about implying they have a relationship together? You claim to support gay people Shane….. But.. You attack him for pointing out a happy gay couple? Hypocrisy +1
Mother fucker. As someone that is
1.) Appalled by this sort of behavior.
2.) Somewhere in the spectrum of gay. (I mainly date transgendered people)
3.) An LGBT activist in Central Illinois
I find it really fucking childish and offensive. How far will Free Software advocates fall to "prove a point"
So, We Apparently Have a New Site
So yeah, I'm a day late and a dollar short for bringing this up just now, but Linsux.org has gone through some major changes. What changes, you ask?
-Sexy blog aggregation
-Spiffy IBP forums, with new community modules.
-Upcoming work on new staff-produced content.
-A logo that looks like utter sex. The good kind. Yeah.
Anyways, a lot has happened as we attempt to shift our capabilities to a very community-centric approach. As one forumer put it (and I love this) "It's like Linsux is the Anti-Slashdot!"
That's fucking awesome in my opinion.
Linsux.org, now on Google Wave
For those of you that have Wave accounts, feel free to hit us up and check us out.
If you can't see this, point your browser to
https://wave.google.com/wave/#restored:wave:googlewave.com!w%252BGvlBmb98A
Dumb Blonde Bitches With Tiny Laptops
What does society really run on anymore? Sometimes I wonder this when I look over at all the stupid people in my classes. Those drooling, uninspiring hypocrites don't ever seem to live real lives in all.
They don't live, they only consume. Like animals.
They just sit there, day after day, somehow passing their classes based on social stature.
There is one bitch that I know that happens to be a prime example of this. She's this dumb blonde in my Physics and Digital Imaging class. I won't name names, but let me describe her.
She has this utterly annoying laugh that makes me want to rip out all of my internal organs every time I hear it. You know how dogs have this moaning sound when you hurt them? That's what her laugh sounds like, if you just mixed the sound of a hundred howling innocent animals with a defective blender and a particularly loud vacuum cleaner. Add in the sounds of a couple people being murdered, and that is exactly what her laugh sounds like.
Now, sounds can sometimes be deceiving. I'm fairly tolerant of stupid laughs, but stupid actions are another thing. This dumb blonde bitch comes in day after day with stupid statements AND stupid actions.
She's one of those halfway-decent looking people who would actually be really cute if she wasn't so stupid and annoying.
She hangs around the dumb jocks in my physics class whom of which are rather unkind, and will most likely merit nothing in life. Truth be told, they'll probably die in some horrific alcohol-induced accident before they were meant to graduate college, and truth be told, they deserve it.
Anyway, this dumb blonde bitch hits on them. Rubs their muscles. Worships their tight bods and miniscule penises. Says things like "Oh, (name), you're so amazing." when there's clearly nothing remarkable about the jackass. The same people who overstate the obvious. "OMG, (name), that's SOOOO FUNNY! (OBNOXIOUS LAUGH)"
But then, this little action gets to me the most.
See, this bitch owns a laptop. Normal thing to do, really. However, it's one of those over-hyped tiny laptops that run XP. Whatever, use it.
Now, she pulls it out in the middle of class, as if to take notes. But what is she doing? Surfing the web? Watching a movie? Playing a game?
No. She's PLAYING FUCKING SOLITAIRE. Not even Spider Solitaire, mind you. She's sitting there listening to the teacher babble and PLAYING A CRAP CARD GAME. Is this for real? This girl must obviously have no original thoughts in her empty little head if she doesn't even ignore a teacher right. As a professional school-skipping ignoramus, I'm highly shocked at her amateur level of non-work.
The sad fact is, there are people like this...all...over...the school. They are all friends of Dumb Blonde Bitch, and they all think like she does. Horrible laughs, horrible jokes, dumb use of overrated gadgets. And they all own the same color iPod with the same songs. What the fuck.
But Blonde Bitch follows me mostly. I saw her computer get taken away yesterday in Study Hall, and I heard her cry for the first time. Her crying is far better than her laughter, as it resembles a thousand angels singing and a thousand babies laughing. Something tolerable at least. But then she mixed in her nasally, bitchy voice, which ruined even that.
Dumb Blonde Bitch, shape up, or die trying.
Soon.