12/19/2013

Retina display is a high definition display...

When I heard a coworker saying that Apple's relied solely on GPU's for it's resolution I was kind of expecting for him to be joking, since he does know about computers.

Yet, he really didn't know that the GPU was only part of the game. It seems that he doesn't know that the display also plays a major role for the the high definition that Apple's computers support. Not only that, he was at a lost on the fact that support for such high definition could be implemented on GNU/Linux and Windows.

The key part is that the ability to run high definition is not only based on hardware, you also need the software to support it. If the OS you run doesn't have the implementation to run high definition, you won't get it no matter how many GPU's you have nor the fact that you have a display that supports it.

The fact that Mac OS X looks the way it does has to do with the fact that the display supports the high pixel density needed. It helps to have a GPU to help run the show, but you still need the high definition display to be able to run have that level of resolution.

12/04/2013

Thoughts on cracking...

One thing that has been making my mind spinning, is the comments made by some people casually talking about cracking software. It basically turned around the fact that it was cheaper than buying the original, or they did it just to feel that they could out do the security of the software they cracked.

What bothered me somewhat, is the fact that one of them didn't seem to be bothered at all about stealing the hard work of other. On the other hand, that the price of that software is keeping people from using such a powerful tool as the computer can be.

Both sides of the matter are plain wrong, since they mean that people don't really benefit either from the hard work they did on making the software. Meanwhile, the price means that they simply can't afford to learn series of skills that are needed in a world where computers are ever more integrated to our daily activities at work and at play.

Yet, free and open-source software(FOSS) is a viable alternative to prevent having to use cracking software, while giving people the chance to afford a computer with all the modern tools they need to learn the skills they would ever need. It empowers, both developers and users, to have a legal and affordable way to access the software they need use without having the cost barriers  that proprietary software imposes to them.

It's not just about money, it's about being ethical and fair on how we treat others work while having the software tools needed to be able to learn the skills needed to work and play.

There are alternatives out there that can be used without having to use to cracking on 
software. We need to extend their use, and let people know that they exist and that they can be as easy to use as the software they currently use.

Sci-fi: trying to see future tech and its impact on society.

Growing up in the 90s consuming a lot of sci-fi media, it feels rather strange that some of the tech described on sci-fi has become a reali...