But as the two systems took shape, some other things had been happening too.
But what will matter to most users is the relative accuracy of the two systems.
Of the two systems that are fragmented one is succeeding and one is not.
Network administrators can write patches that get the two systems to work together.
Some 40, 000 cases are currently stuck somewhere in, or between, the two systems.
At the end of the day, the weaker of the two systems will set the bar for the vast majority of games.
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More importantly, the marriage of the two systems made their calls quicker.
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They are especially worried that Galileo's transmission frequencies will overlap those of the revamped GPS: the two systems might interfere with each other.
The two systems, Cray says, are the largest the company has ever built, and are on tight timelines due to previous delays of third-party components.
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This last point is the critical difference between the two systems.
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And thanks to all those western management articles applauding Japanese business methods, the foreigners have a decade-long lead in finding a compromise between the two systems.
But I suspect the difference between the next Xbox and the next PlayStation will be about the same as the difference between the two systems this generation.
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It is also apparent that the two companies have been working hard to make sure the new network build will result in complete compatibility between the two systems.
The PS4 is rumored to be the stronger of the two systems, but regardless of which is more powerful the difference will likely not be enough to matter much.
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Ultimately, the real income changes are comparable under the two systems, but the currency depreciation option does not require money wages and benefits to decline, where stickiness leads to unemployment.
Given efforts to improve mutual understanding of the two systems and good will on both sides, issues that arise can be satisfactorily resolved within one country in accordance with the Basic Law.
The integration of the two systems has enabled learners from the non-formal sector to eventually rejoin and gain qualifications that are administered and sanctioned by the State just like as it is for learners following the formal education system.
Of course, there are significant provisos to get through first -- it's only one machine, running on Apple's drivers, testing mostly Apple applications, and the two systems default to different versions of QuickTime -- but we can still glean some indication of where the two heavyweights are relative to one another.
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It derives its name from the two rotating systems that are the basis of the design: the main engine at its base, which will put it into orbit, and the rotor on top, which will enable it to touch down gently.
After all the submissions are in, we'll pick the best hack for each of the two gaming systems, publish the write-ups on Engadget, and open them up to reader voting (by submitting your hack you're giving us the non-exclusive right to publish it on the site).
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But few of those who use the two languages regularly risk running the two operating systems side by side.
In fact, the two examples which buck the trend - the two body systems which do clearly deteriorate in middle age - make my point for me.
There ought to be a way to integrate the two subsidy systems so that people are not encouraged to leave the private system as they age.
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"Because of the banking licences in the UK, when you bring two organisations together, the transition from two systems to one system can take up to 10 years, " he explains.
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Previously, it would have taken hours for the two disparate systems to integrate their databases.
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Furthermore, the Basic Law - itself a national law - plays an interfacing role between the two legal systems.
While the two operating systems will retain certain unique features, they are nonetheless built on the same BSD Unix platform.
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