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Second is the name. It needs to change. This is not about being PC, it's about reaching out to as many people as possible, and getting them to try out the GIMP. Will universities ever teach classes in a program that's called 'the gimp?' Will companies ever take seriously an employee who says that he wants to install 'the gimp' on his computer? Y'all have to have gotten the same weird looks as me when you've suggested that people try 'the gimp'. Have you ever told it to someone who uses a cane or crutches or is in a wheelchair?

If you have, you probably felt like a real jerk right after it slipped out of your mouth.

Well, as a non-native speaker, I never knew the word "gimp" had a meaning in the English language. Just looked up m-w.com... gimp means cripple, but it also means spirit and, curiously, vim (which is also a word!).

If you feel bad saying "gimp" as ['gimp], I suggest you to pronunce the "g" as in "ginger", making it ['jimp]. I've already heard people saying it like that; it's not that weird.

Second is the name. It needs to change. This is not about being PC, it's about reaching out to as many people as possible, and getting them to try out the GIMP. Will universities ever teach classes in a program that's called 'the gimp?' Will companies ever take seriously an employee who says that he wants to install 'the gimp' on his computer? Y'all have to have gotten the same weird looks as me when you've suggested that people try 'the gimp'. Have you ever told it to someone who uses a cane or crutches or is in a wheelchair?

If you have, you probably felt like a real jerk right after it slipped out of your mouth.

Well, as a non-native speaker, I never knew the word "gimp" had a meaning in the English language. Just looked up m-w.com... gimp means cripple, but it also means spirit and, curiously, vim (which is also a word!).

If you feel bad saying "gimp" as ['gimp], I suggest you to pronunce the "g" as in "ginger", making it ['jimp]. I've already heard people saying it like that; it's not that weird.

Dictionaries record language usage, they don't define words for us (it's vice-versa) or determine their acceptability. e.g. irregardless

OTOH, I'm amazed at the OP being amazed that words in English are easily (and often) modified. That's one of the best features of the language. Hasn't that guy ever delved outside of modern literature? Read the KJV Bible, Shakespeare and Chaucer and then come and complain about "bendy", I dare him.

There just isn't One True English unless you're a Platonist or a royalist (and in the latter case, RSE has hardly remained static).

bendy.

It is a word. Being used commonly is how something becomes a word in the first place. Language is not static.

Pretty mild namecalling. But still, I gave in to my baser impulses and shouldn't call names. So I hereby apologize for that. I'm sorry.

Thanks, apology accepted.

I bought a frickin' car. I didn't join their "community." I have found other Subaru owners that are very helpful, but that doesn't negate the fact that it would be easy for me to pick out the worst of the whole and paint them with the "dickhead" epithet. I didn't have that experience. Your idea that buying iron means you're obliged to be in a community of any kind is odd.

This is where I think the car-computer analogy goes as far as it can. If you're into a particular computer system then I think you probably want to get involved at some level in the community or even if you don't, I still think you are going to rely on the community in some capacity for help at some stage. I think this happens with cars too to some extent... people who are interested in something tend to want to learn more about it, advance their usage of it, and therefore form communities. I don't think there exists an obligation to join but I do think you miss out on a lot if you don't.

Besides, as I've written elsewhere, if you think the Mac community is nothing but mindless fanboys, you're wrong. I'd like to know where a dickhead-free body of users of any platform exists.

I don't. I've spoken at length about Apple stuff with people that clearly know their stuff. I've also been talked at by people who don't. The general trend I've observed is devotion. Which, like it or like it not, I find off-putting if it leads to the overhyping I've talked about here or elsewhere in this thread.

[snip]

I said he posed a question: 'MacOS amazes me, but not as much as peoples resistance to it amazes me.' Did you think OP was just thinking and accidentally carried on typing?

That is a statement, not a question. You can infer a question, but he didn't pose a question. Posing a question is an explicit act. Commenting on an offered opinion is not answering a question, so I don't need a question to give a response. I was just saying you didn't answer a posed question. I wouldn't even have answered this, but you challenged me and I had to preserve my honor.

Ngggh! Do we have to argue over semantics? :)

Very well. I think OP posed a question.
pose. I pick 1a: to present for attention or consideration <let me pose a question>.
pose I pick v.tr. 2: To set forth in words; propound: pose a question.
Do I have to link to 'question' as well or are you satisfied that it's 'an expression of inquiry that invites or calls for a reply'?

Those are the two online dictionaries I use the most. If you've got another source that we can both check then let me know. I maintain that the OP posed a question. True there wasn't a question mark but I think they were wondering aloud on a public forum. For why if not to seek an answer?

I disagree. But kudos to you for assuming offence on someone else's behalf and jumping in!

Come on. Work with me. This is a public forum. You didn't write a private message, and I found it likely to be offensive (I was not personally offended.). Obviously, so did a moderator. Yet you'd rather attribute it to all those mean Mac users and not consider your own behavior.

I'm trying to. I honestly think it was neither offensive nor flamebait. And as far as I can tell neither did the person I was replying to. This is apple.slashdot, I fully expect criticism of Apple or Apple users' attitudes to be moderated such. I don't attribute that to 'mean Mac users' just retardates in general. I think

I think you mean defray.

-Peter

Actually, you probably can't. Assuming a 0.1" deformation of the bottom of your foot, you'd have to jump from 150" or 12.5 feet. If you landed without any other shock absorption (flex of your skeleton), you're almost certain to break somthing (you're ankles, most likely).

At first I mis-read that as 150'. From that height its not just your ankles breaking; your femura* will shoot right through yor pelvis. As to whether their final resting place is inside or outside of the body is left as an exercize to the reader.

Ok, I have grossed myself out for the morning.
<<shudder>>
Apologies.

* Good word, huh?

It would be the latter.

Please, stop making words up, it's worse than boswollox

Of course burglarize is a word. Before you criticize someone's grammar maybe you should read a dictionary.

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary& va=burglarize&x=0&y=0

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=burglariz e

Looks like burlgarize is OK to me. In fact, for a couple of the dictionaries, the definition of "burgle" is just: "see burglarize".

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Dictionary Definition of an Athlete:a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

"Motor Sports"
"Video Games"

No, I think he meant troll . That word is every bit as good as trawl . Where did you think the other sense of the word came from, after all?

No, I think he meant troll . That word is every bit as good as trawl . Where did you think the other sense of the word came from, after all?

Problem with dictionary.com is it's a very poor dictionary

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm

Webster's is the best. You get definition, etymology, and they even have .wav of the pronounciation! I love it.

This is what I love about the 'net. Endless entertainment. I'm really sad I can't respond to all of your brilliant points, lacking the time to do so, but some of these are too golden to pass on:

> "If u want a battle of witz, then uve picked the wrong guy pal."

No, you see, if I wanted a battle of wits, I'd pick on someone who actually had some to spare.

> "FACT 2: Great or grate both mean the same exact thing."

[*sigh*] OK, let me help you: http://www.m-w.com/
Since you seem to like facts, here's one: it might not be a bad idea for you to take a peek in a dictionary once in a while.

> "IE is 100% safe and secure if u configure it properly. Proof that u r an idiot is that u don't knoe that."

Believe it, do you? Hmmmm. ;)

> "Not to mention that Firefox is riddled with spyware"

Show me the lines of code in Firefox where this spyware exists, then? The great thing about open-source software is you can actually see for yourself what the software does, unlike, say, IE.

> "I don't even knoe what the fuck u just said. That's the problem with all you open sores Lunix users, you don't speak english.

Hehe, obviously. ;)

> I am the owner of a fortune 1000 company that does database design. We pay attention to what the users want. We design the user interface first to make sure it's beautiful and easy to use. We used to have coders on our staff who wrote the backend in C and Perl, but it turned out that they didn't do much and cost too much. So now we outsource all our backend worthless crap to cheap consultants. ALl that backend shit doesn't matter because the users never see it. What matters is a beautiful interface done in Photoshop, Powerpoint or Flash. The rest of the stuff is crap factory work that I don't care about. C and Perl coders are just stupid assholes who don't know any better."

Eh, Photoshop, Powerpoint, and Flash (and Windows, and anything else you misuse on your computer) were written by those "stupid assholes" you mention. In fact, it seems like your entire way of living was created by them.

> "Whose got the pointy head here? The reasonable and user-friendly executive software architect like me, or the geeky coder who can't speak english like u? ... I can't wait until the president makes open sores illegal. U communists have been making it hard for businesses to compete because u don't follow the rules. Ur day is coming though. Mark my words jerkwads, u folks are the next people to go to places like Abu Grahib in Cuba. I will laugh with glee when the videos and photos of u pepoel being sodomized by military women with strap-ons come out. U all hate America, but ur day is coming. The lord god will make certain of that when Bush brings judgement day."

"Reasonable"... you know, that's exactly the word I was thinking of when I read this! If I wanted to write satire, I couldn't do better than this. Bravo!

:-P

The real misnomer here is calling China's current economic condition "capitalism" when in reality, it's heavily state-influenced mercantilism. Most of the economic development in China is taking place under the auspices of large, centralised concerns with close relationships with the government, not as the result of the network effects of a free society of individuals and voluntary communities pursuing their own aims.

A form of fascism then?

Main Entry: fascism
Pronunciation: 'fa-"shi-z&m also 'fa-"si-
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, fasces, group, from Latin fascis bundle & fasces fasces
1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

Sounds a lot like today's China if you ask me...

Main Entry: extraordinary Pronunciation: ik-'stror-d&n-"er-E, "ek-str&-'or- Function: adjective

1 a : going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary b : exceptional to a very marked extent c of a financial transaction : NONRECURRING

2 : employed for or sent on a special function or service

1 a : the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community
b (1) : audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs
(2) : a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings
(3) : the suggestion by objects, actions, or conditions of associated ideas or feelings <language in their very gesture -- Shakespeare>
(4) : the means by which animals communicate
(5) : a formal system of signs and symbols (as FORTRAN or a calculus in logic) including rules for the formation and transformation of admissible expressions
(6) : MACHINE LANGUAGE 1
2 a : form or manner of verbal expression; specifically : STYLE
b : the vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or a department of knowledge
c : PROFANITY
3 : the study of language especially as a school subject

I will concede that the grammar Nazis carry things to an extreme. As much as it annoys me, I can understand text with common grammar issues (wrong verb tense, plural vs. singular) and common typographical errors. Beyond that, and I have to work harder to understand the text.

As errors approach infinity, the probability approaches zero that a "community" understands what is being said or written. Thus, this is not some sort of natural evolution of language. Language, particularly as described by definition 1a above, naturally evolves towards commonly understood phrases and word combinations. Uncommon or inconsistent spelling, usage or ordering of words will always get in the way of the understanding of the "community".

(From M-W Online) Elite d : a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence (members of the ruling elite) (the intellectual elites of the country)

From this definition ("virtue of position"), minority status is not a requirement for "elite". The 6 digit assignment will be closed, and no new members will be able to appear as the wise old sages of Slashdot.

Not that it really matters. It's just a sig with a silly observation. :)

If it's not observed, then it's not a right.

It might be a well-established priveledge, but really, when it comes down to it, the only right you have is whatever "rights" you can take due to the force you command (might makes right, essentially)

That would be your opinion, not fact.

My interpretation of a "right" is that which is justly due a person, not that which some authoritarian power allows. Merriam Webster seems to agree in the sense that a right is something due a person, and can be stated in law. A right is not a right only if observed, granted, or allowed.

2 : something to which one has a just claim: as a : the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled b (1) : the interest that one has in a piece of property -- often used in plural (2) plural : the property interest possessed under law or custom and agreement in an intangible thing especially of a literary and artistic nature 3 : something that one may properly claim as due

"Might makes right" has nothing to do with what is due a person. It is essentially "might makes correct", and stems from a completely different meaning than the term 'right(s)' which I was (obviously) referring to.

Not to feed a troll, but can't you find something a little less important than a humans basic entitlements to trivialize? The state cannot create or give rights (in the personal liberty sense), they exist regardless of the state. All the state can do is deny them, and it is logically fallacious to assume that just because an entity can take something away, that the entity must have created or granted that which it has the power to deny.

By your logic, I created your life because I could kill you.

So don't talk back to daddy.

Nothing is less fun than a literalist.

From Webster's Online: Commodity: a mass-produced unspecialized product ex: commodity chemicals, commodity memory chips

I don't think healthcare, insurance, telco, and maybe even power fit into these definitions. These are specialized, constantly changing technologies -- different vendors can create products with competitive advantages. They are the exact opposite of a commodity, unless this is an argument over word meaning.

Soda and hamburgers are commodities, but the government doesn't hand them out, right? It's not really an issue of whether its a commodity or not. Governments provide that which the private sector cannot provide. Law and regulation, defense of country, treaties, etc. are the responsibilities of government. It is a somewhat utopian vision (and socialist too, I guess) that sees government having the resources to provide all "essentials".

Gotta love those homophones!

It's inured, not inert.

It's a pretty good word.

-Peter

I believe the term is being used in this sense -- Dictionary entry: 1c. a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities

I understand your point, but I think the use of hero in this context is appropriate. A hero does noble things you wish you could do. Narrowing the definition to just people who save lives is not accurate.

hack this

For those of you who don't know, it should be "ordnance" rather than "ordinance".

From www.m-w.com:

Main Entry: ordinance
Pronunciation: 'ord-n&n(t)s, 'or-d&n-&n(t)s
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French ordenance, literally, act of arranging, from Medieval Latin ordinantia, from Latin ordinant-, ordinans, present participle of ordinare to put in order -- more at ORDAIN
1 a : an authoritative decree or direction : ORDER b : a law set forth by a governmental authority; specifically : a municipal regulation
2 : something ordained or decreed by fate or a deity
3 : a prescribed usage, practice, or ceremony synonym see LAW

Main Entry: ordnance
Pronunciation: 'ord-n&n(t)s
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English ordinaunce, from Middle French ordenance, literally, act of arranging
1 a : military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment b : a service of the army charged with the procuring, distributing, and safekeeping of ordnance
2 : CANNON, ARTILLERY

We now return to our regularly scheduled flamewars.

China calls themselves a republic maybe because they are? The first definition of republic is simply anything that's not a monarchy, the second is the one you're aiming for, but that's only the second.

Main Entry: 2censor
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): censored; censoring /'sen(t)-s&-ri[ng], 'sen(t)s-ri[ng]/
: to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable

from http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Diction ary&va=censoring

"How will this affect evolution?"

Assuming that you meant to say "effect", unless you mix our DNA this will have absolutely no effect on evolution.

You aren't talking about the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes by any chance, are you?

It sounds impressive, but how usefull is doing something a machine can already do more quickly and efficiently?

Like say, woodworking? (Or spelling, in your case.) Fact is people just enjoy doing things. Lots and lots of things. Life is vastly more complex than basic food & shelter & fucking.

Incidently,

genius
1390, from L. genius "guardian deity or spirit which watches over each person from birth; spirit, incarnation, wit, talent," from root of gignere "beget, produce" (see kin), from PIE base *gen- "produce." Meaning "person of natural intelligence or talent" first recorded 1649.

genius
Inflected Form(s): plural geniuses or genii /-nE-"I/
Etymology: Latin, tutelary spirit, natural inclinations, from gignere to beget
1 a plural genii : an attendant spirit of a person or place b plural usually genii : a person who influences another for good or bad
2 : a strong leaning or inclination : PENCHANT
3 a : a peculiar, distinctive, or identifying character or spirit b : the associations and traditions of a place c : a personification or embodiment especially of a quality or condition
4 plural usually genii : SPIRIT, JINNI
5 plural usually geniuses a : a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude b : extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity c : a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority; especially : a person with a very high intelligence quotient
synonym see GIFT

I don't think you've thought very much about "useful" or "genius".

Yes, you *do* mean affected.

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?hdwd=affect&list word=affect&book=Dictionary&jump=affect%5B2%2Cverb %5D&list=affect%5B1%2Cnoun%5D%3D15410%3Baffect%5B2 %2Cverb%5D%3D15429%3Baffect%5B3%2Ctransitive+verb% 5D%3D15444

Common sense might indicate to you that this was the case, and common sense would be completely wrong. While the connotations of the word recycle are generally what you suggest, the denotation may clearly be a synonym for reuse.

consult:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycle
http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary& va=recycle&x=0&y=0
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=recycle
http://www.dict.org/bin/Dict?Form=Dict2&Database=* &Query=recycle

-michael

Who's saying otherwise? And who's saying people are just fetuses? I don't think I've ever heard that either. That's just crazy talk.

Really I'm with you on this, man.

> "So, what is it? Are we in another boom"

You're not in a boom, or in a bust. You're in a plutocracy. So Americans lose jobs and companies hire foreigners for less money to help pay for those multi-million-dollar executive bonuses. You realize your annual salary is probably a fraction of what your CEO's office furniture is worth, don't you? In the grand scheme of things, your worth (my worth) is slightly below that of a desk and chair. Welcome to the new economy.

I also think of the reconciliation as a restoration of federal law, and not as an oppression.

Nice way to think about it, but the southern states were exploited and oppressed during "Reconstruction" by various persons/groups from the Union. This is how terms such as carpetbagger came about.

sam-zen-pus?
And why in hell would anyone end their nym with pus

Refer to the second half of the topic:

"Being a guitar player myself, I've come to truly appreciate the technology of the vacuum tube every time I crank up my amplifier. This 100-year-old grandfather of electronics, used by musicians and audiophiles across the world, has proven that profound advances in technology do not always render old technologies obsolete."

"Obsolete means no longer in use. You use them, and so do many others. You meant to say obsolescent; in other words becoming obsolete but still in use."

No, I meant to use the exact word that the topic used, in reference to that very word.

Additionally, "obsolete".

Check out part B, "1 a : no longer in use or no longer useful b : of a kind or style no longer current : OLD-FASHIONED"

Perfectly describes a tube amp, which is all I called BS on....for the reason previously given. A 200 watt solid state amp is cheaper than a 100 watt tube amp. Restrict (vie the volume knob) your output to 150watts, and you will never experience the "problem" solir state amps have that tube amps are so much better at.

To take out the small inference: if you have $500 to spend on an amp, you can have a clean sound with no clips for far less with solid state than with tube, volume to volume. And the solid state will actually be cleaner, since it responds better than a tube.

So...when the topic focuses on tube amps supposedly being better, I call BS.

Let's give it ten years - wikipedia still won't be a conventional dictionary

Until you learn the difference between dictionary and encyclopedia, you shouldn't weigh in on this subject. :-)

You might as well look up thesaurus while you're at it.

Let's give it ten years - wikipedia still won't be a conventional dictionary

Until you learn the difference between dictionary and encyclopedia, you shouldn't weigh in on this subject. :-)

You might as well look up thesaurus while you're at it.

Let's give it ten years - wikipedia still won't be a conventional dictionary

Until you learn the difference between dictionary and encyclopedia, you shouldn't weigh in on this subject. :-)

You might as well look up thesaurus while you're at it.

Air and subsequently aircraft implies earth the last time I checked.

Air and subsequently aircraft implies earth the last time I checked.

> Memorandum is an INFORMAL collection, in the US corporate world, minutes
> of a meeting are quite formal, and legally required in some cases. Referendum
> is generally accepted as a popular vote, as in of the people. This term is
> equally incorrect. Memorandum does come closer. But only slightly.

Let's see what the dictionary says about "minutes".

Merriam-Webster:
4 a : a brief note (as of summary or recommendation)
b : MEMORANDUM, DRAFT
c plural : the official record of the proceedings of a meeting

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:
6. A note or summary covering points to be remembered; a memorandum.

JURIST's browsable dictionary of basic U.S. legal terminology and Legal Dictionary:
Memorandum of a transaction or proceeding.

Sounds close enough for non-lawyers.

By definition, sodomy involves the rear exit.
Not really. As seen in Merriam-Webster, sodomy includes all non-coital copulation, although the emphasis is on oral and anal. Therefore, ramming a broom handle or, yes, an electric prod, up a girl's vagina is considered sodomy.

What are you babbling. If you don't know what "market share" means, go look it up.
Gaining share and gaining *market share* are exactly the same thing. Period.

And what do you think, that Netcraft determined which OS people run by making phonecalls?... :-D

Heh... GNU zealots. Spreading FUD, exactly like the corporations they hate so much.
Luckily, you're too lame even to do that. :)

He's a bloody nihilist.

Uh, you don't know what nihilist means.

m-w entry for nihilist.

from http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Diction ary&va=Decimation

Main Entry: decimate
Pronunciation: 'de-s&-"mAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -mated; -mating
Etymology: Latin decimatus, past participle of decimare, from decimus tenth, from decem ten
1 : to select by lot and kill every tenth man of
2 : to exact a tax of 10 percent from
3 a : to reduce drastically especially in number
b : to destroy a large part of .