what was here before God?

If the thought is that God was always here then why can't it also be thought that before the big bang the stuff which created it was here already too?

If the thought is that there was nothing and then there was God, why can't that also apply to the matter which made up the big bang?

it seems like there's a leap of faith for one but not for the other even where there is data providing evidence of the one which seems too difficult to accept. This would seem strange yet it is probably do to a form of assimilation.

LoB

the US is mostly subsidizing the purchase of the finished goods along with the cost of installation. ie they are moving money around more by this and even more so when the solar panels are manufactured in the US. When China subsidized it's manufacturing, that meant more US money( subsidized and not ) was not getting moved around inside the US any more and the US economy works by money moves around.

It didn't help that Obama backed some terrible designs for solar panels and those companies went belly up when the price for std flat cells dropped some. But instead of looking at this as a way to flood the US with cheaper solar energy they are more concerned with moving money around and could help to stall the movement away from foreign oil/energy markets again.

LoB

and just maybe the State wants to make sure they have full access to snoop on all equally.

And besides, I think they want to create a Beowulf cluster of those. Can you imagine? lol

LoB

but as long as Microsoft knows they can keep obsoleting old versions of their software and forcing upgrades and repurchases of licenses their long term income remains. It's been referred to as the Microsoft treadmill and it has sustained them for well over a decade. How else could they have 90% market share and continue pulling in billions in profits quarter after quarter?

It is getting tougher for MS though with OSS and raising their prices just makes that worst. If we read about them doing another corporate reorganization then it might be MS is digging for ways to continue showing growth in their financial reports.

LoB

and the reason Intel is pushing more than their server CPUs onto the latest/smallest process is because their CPU design needs it to compete with the ARM designs out there on the "older" process sizes. IIRC, Intel used to run their server and gaming CPUs on the latest/smallest process sizes for over a year before moving their desktop and other CPUs to it. They'd charge a premium for those server and gaming CPUs, a big premium. But now, they are being forced to put their low budget CPUs on the latest process.

So it's nice they spun this as a big plus for Intel but as you mentioned, they are only a little bit ahead of the others and it's costing them by doing this.

LoB

OMG, it was a joke to show how ridiculous the claim of too many Linux versions was.

LoB

the article linked in the OP sounded like the Nook was getting Windows 8 and others posted with that in mind. Another article I read stated that it was the Nook application ported to Windows 8.

As for ARM tablets running Windows 8 goes, I've not seen any in person and those who have said that Microsoft won't let them touch them and can only see what the presenter is willing to show. That's why I doubted Windows 8 on any ARM hardware like what the Nook Color or Nook Tablet is running would be insufficient to run Windows 8. Again, that's a moot point since the whole thing is about Microsoft and B&N settling the patent dispute with Microsoft giving B&N $300 million to accept a licensing agreement and create a separate company where a Windows 8 Nook app will reside along with existing B&N ebook divisions.

It sounds like the Nook ebook apps will probably end up with special MS DRM and my guess is that the Nook might move from being a multi-format ebook reader. We'll see.

all in all, good for B&N for getting $300m for standing up to Microsoft but bad for the Android sector because it didn't go to court and get tossed out. Now there's Google/Motorola left and I'm not so sure they will take a payment from Microsoft to drop it.

LoB

turns out it's about the Nook application on Windows 8 based computers and not Windows 8 on Nook hardware with Nook software.

LoB

Never mind, a 2nd story clarified that it's about a Windows 8 application for Windows 8 PCs and not putting Windows 8 on the Nook.

In short, Microsoft paid B&N $300 milllion to drop the case Microsoft filed against them and agree to a license scheme which will end up putting Microsoft's DRM patented software on every Nook and Nook application. Probably give Microsoft exact numbers of Nook tablet units shipped and also get Microsoft access to college ebooks and other B&N ebook systems. You know, a enemy to an enemy(Amazon) is a friend and even more so when I get to pull his/her strings.

B&N has been having financial problems so $300 million is probably helpful and ending the trail expenses even if they were going to win was no doubt part of the calculations as to doing this deal.

LoB

It has nothing to do with advertising really but far more to do with the money the large OEM vendors get from Microsoft as part of their "Marketing Program". This money is out side of the licensing costs/deal but still tied to it. Microsoft pays vendors for putting those Windows stickers on the packing boxes, keyboards, and computer chasis along with logo's on the web pages and in the purchase literature. Lots of money.

And then there are the preloaded software kits companies like Adobe and others have contracts with the OEM's for so time-limited or entry versions of their software is installed on the computer already. The OEM's make money off that too.

I guess there is a 3rd primary reason too and that is the fact that Microsoft's _people_ will come knock on your door if you start putting Linux on some of your systems. They will smile, sit down with you, as an OEM, and place your existing licensing cost sheet down on the table and then ask if you think shipping Linux systems is really financially worth your while. Smiling, he'll say to think hard about it while tapping his finger on your existing cost sheet for the Windows OS license.

That's about it so even if customers ask about Linux, the vendors really can't put Linux on the systems unless they are the small fry guys and even then they'll probably talk you into putting it on with a 2nd disk or as a 2nd boot option on the same disk. The big guys can not cut off all that marketing money and reloaded software money when that is where they make their profits from.

LoB

With Windows I know I can just pick Windows Starter if a netbook is needed and the netbook is a 10.1" screen or less. If it's larger then it's called an Ultrabook and that means Windows Home is an option if networking isn't a big deal or connecting to a Windows network. There's Windows Media Edition for all kinds of multimedia fun but the hardware needs to be beefy enough to support it. If the home computer is going to be used for work then I'll need to make sure to upgrade or get the Windows Professional version so it can connect to the network at work. If we get a site license then there's the Windows Enterprise version and that comes with a bunch of client licenses because I need licenses every client when connecting to Microsoft's server software.

With Windows it's just so easy and with Linux there are just too many choices.

LoB

and you'll probably have to add another pound of weight onto that of the current Nook once they try and slap Windows 8 into the device. That and MS will have to heavily subsidize it to keep the price from adding another $100/ea due to the extra hardware required by the Windows overhead.

Have you seen _any_ tablets the size of the Nook or Kindle running Windows 8? There's a reason.

LoB

So Microsoft claims they're going to work to help a Linux/Android based tablet? Does anybody believe this or is it April 1st again?

Does anyone remember how Microsoft claimed they were working to help the OLPC group and was working with them on getting Windows XP running on the XO? They put 1 or 2 people on the job( seriously, they'd assigned 12 people just to one article author in the past ) and it got nowhere but to screw up the focus of the project and create lots of unrest within the org.

Microsoft does not _do_ anything but Windows and _never_ has. I see this as 100% a scam to terminate the Nook product line since they have shown nothing to prove otherwise. Talk is cheap and they've not done anything to show they are a product company as opposed to a Windows company.

And I thought B&N was smarter than this.

LoB

so where did the parent say anything about Linux or *nix being better, worst or anything? Since you brought it up, are you now saying that Linux and/or *nix are consumer OS's? Strange because that's not what we usually hear from the Windows lemming crowd.

Besides, I've seen and used *nix systems which wouldn't allow weak passwords so it's doable.

LoB

so this explains why IBM has been getting out of the computer hardware businesses( PC, hard disk, printers, etc ) over the past few years. They're about to become an energy company. The other good thing that this is IBM and not some small company is, they are not likely to sell out to the existing oil industry and sell the patent so they can bury the technology.

LoB