A Debt to IE?

I have a diffy q test tomorrow that I could be more prepared for, and I have an early morning tomorrow so I'm going to try to write this post quickly. Please pray for my soul tomorrow! Anyway, Microsoft evangelist John Carroll seems to have raised some eyebrows over at the Mozilla Foundation for claiming that Firefox couldn't have been downloaded if IE wasn't preloaded on Windows systems, as if they owe a debt of thanks to M$. One Firefox developer, Blake Ross, finds this notion fundamentally flawed, though I'd go as far as to say that it's ridiculous. The big picture is that your average person doesn't know much about the Internet let alone what the word "browser" even means, so why would they be out there trying new browsers and picking the best one? They use IE out of convenience, and that's why whenever I see a non-techie (at UT it's almost the non-CS majors whom I know) doing something online they instinctively open IE even when Firefox is available on the computer. I don't think this at all helps their antitrust case because the fact of the matter is that we've all been subconsciously brainwashed! It took some major crashes for me to stop using IE entirely and going so far as to install Firefox on computers that don't have it so that I don't have to endure IE crashes and pop-ups anymore, but I'll admit that it was a long time before I reached that point. Furthermore, how hard do you think you have to push the computer illiterate PC user before they try out the customizable experience offered by Firefox? One of my favorite points Ross makes is that this is analogous to Linux zealots claiming that people will switch just because it's a better OS. It doesn't matter how good your product is if people don't know about it or can't switch to it easily (this is what has held people back from Macs).

Apple made an extremely reasonable concession in that ridiculous lawsuit about hearing loss (from a guy who experienced no harm whatsoever to his eardrum by an iPod). They're going to have a software update for the Nano and 5G iPod to allow users to set a maximum volume for all their music, and I wouldn't use it if I had one because I'm good about keeping the volume low, but it's a good idea. Small startup Azul Systems has been developing a chip with 48 cores called Vega, which is ridiculous considering that you're probably reading this from a computer with one core unless you're a hardcore geek. The biggest issue with that chipset will be compiling to optimize for so many cores, but it could have good scientific uses. If you think you're hot stuff with your 1GB USB keychain, then you've just been upstaged by a $5,000 64GB flash drive, which is actually biggger (in capacity, not physically) than my current hard drive! I wonder how many years before this is within a few hundred bucks. If you miss PS3 coverage then you can see a whole Flickr gallery of pictures of the elusive device over here. Lastly, just a couple of nostalgia items for you. Modojo has a pretty good look at why the Virtual Boy failed, which my room mate actually has and I had the same complaints listed in that article when I tried it out myself. DigiBarn has shots of Microsoft Windows 1.0 including the installation process and the UI itself. I can't believe people ever used that (I started off on version 3.0).

Not much movie news today, so this should go quick. Yahoo Movies has a couple of clips from Lucky Number Slevin, and I really love Lucy Liu in this role. Finally, she's actually becoming a good actress! It looks like Marilyn Manson is directing a movie called Phantasmagoria, which apparently has no relation to the old school PC game of the same title. I wonder if he's has messed up as his looks would let on, and he's definitely smarter than you would think. Aussie actor Lachy Hulme may be a frontrunner for the role of Joker for a Batman Begins sequel, but you may only recognize him from The Matrix Revolutions. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't rely on a powerhouse cast now that they have credibility for the series. There's a little new footage online from Casino Royale, but nothing too exciting (or high quality). Lastly, Elizabeth Banks spilled very little about Spider-man 3 (her role being Jonah's secretary), but the little she did say would support the case for Venom.

Now for a good, clean Wednesday Mind Hump:

1. What is your favorite veggie?
Probably salad, because I like covering it in dressing and croutons. I use the low-fat stuff, mind you. In close second are black-eyed peas, which I've mentioned before, but you can get tired of after too much of it.

2. Are there any veggies you don't eat?
I hate spinach! I can't stand to eat it, even with paneer. I'm sure there are more, but my brain is too fried right now to remember.

3. Which veggie do you think has the funniest name?
Zucchini! One of the few z-words we have is a vegetable; how crazy is that?!

4. If you're a vegetarian, why are you and do you like it? If you're not a vegetarian, would you ever want to become one?
No way in Hell. I love my meat too much. I can't imagine getting all my protein from tofu, milk, and protein shakes. Plus, life without BBQs and steakhouses isn't worth living ;)