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Keeping a PC Personal At School?

Posted by kdawson on from the mine-mine-mine dept.

Berto Kraus writes "As one of the most tech-oriented students in my art-oriented institution, I'm usually the one with the laptop. This causes frequent requests from other students to read mail, check some site, or connect it to the projector to display a file from their Flash drive. For the sake of my privacy, the health of my laptop, and my own peace of mind, I'm reluctant. But telling my compatriots to go to our building supervisor and ask him for a desktop-on-a-cart, as they should do, is considered rude and unfriendly. Now, I could dual-boot Ubuntu, or carry around a Linux-on-a-stick. Or I could embed the computer in my skull. For many reasons, none of these solutions is ideal. So I'm asking you, insightful and funny Slashdotters, what would you do to keep your PC personal at school?"

108 of 695 comments (clear)

  1. easy. by l3iggs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    create a guest account.

    1. Re:easy. by PeterBrett · · Score: 5, Interesting

      create a guest account.

      I agree. Note that if you're running a recent version of Fedora, there's a built-in 'xguest' SELinux profile which is completely locked down -- that might interest you, along with the fast user switching.

      --
      Pirate Party UK
    2. Re:easy. by Macrat · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Just set up a guest account already.

      Or just tell them NO.

    3. Re:easy. by supernova_hq · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Or do what I do. Make your machine super-efficient but very hard to learn. Using my machine is sort of a keyboard-mouse hybrid of vi!
      • Use "scale" for app switching, bind it to a hot-corner and disable your taskbar.
      • bind another corner to "show desktop"
      • bind another corner to "expo"
      • launch ALL your applications from gnome-do (using docky in hidden mode).
      • put your last remaining panel on the side (vertical)

      After a couple days, the shortcuts (especially the hot-corners, trust me) will speed up your efficiency. At the same time, others will be baffled as to what the hell happened when they touched the mouse!

      Hint: For fast desktop-switching, you can set it so when you "click" on the left/right of the screen, it rotates.
      Note: hot-corners do not need to be clicked, just mouse-over, this makes them very fast and easy to use, but also easy for a newby to hit by accident ;)

      Now I know this is all compiz stuff, but MacOSX has some features that are pretty much exactly the same, I know it has hot-corner activated "scale".

    4. Re:easy. by TOGSolid · · Score: 5, Interesting

      When I was an apprentice in the Merchant Marines, I was one of the few who had a laptop in my dorm packed with games and music and what not. I set up a guest account with a massively long password so that those that wanted to could play the games I had on it while I was out and about on the campus doing whatever. The catch is, is that to use it I charged by the hour and I only let certain people use it so that it didn't get fucked up. Food, soda, and cigarettes were all accepted currency on top of straight cash. I had no issues saying no, and if I was busy saving the day in whatever game I was playing at the time, then too fucking bad. I don't care if you want on, it's my rig.

      Start charging for access to use your laptop and don't be afraid to say no. I'm guessing most of those students aren't the smartest people in the world and you don't want one of those airheads busting your laptop after all so be judicious in who you'll let buy time. Remember, the customer is always wrong.

    5. Re:easy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      you have a perfect opportunity here to capture passwords.

    6. Re:easy. by grimborg · · Score: 2, Funny

      What I do: dvorak keyboard + xmonad. They scare everyone away!

    7. Re:easy. by cashman73 · · Score: 2, Funny

      No need to go that far! Heck, just installing your favorite Linux distro on it will most likely discourage most of the Windoze Moochers from even asking! Or, they might ask and then notice that you have "something else" on the system that they "don't know how to use". Problem solved! =)

    8. Re:easy. by bdsesq · · Score: 5, Funny

      Better yet. Set up your screen saver with a short delay to show porn.

      Then when the porn shows up during their presentation blame them.
      They will NEVER ask to use your computer again.

    9. Re:easy. by psnyder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I know you were modded funny, but I actually just followed your little "guide" step by step; installing gnome-do, and setting up all the bindings in compiz.

      Not because I wanted to obfuscate things for others, but because I'm still fairly new to Linux and it's actually a pretty nice setup. Thanks for the ideas (^_^)

    10. Re:easy. by Beezlebub33 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's my experience too.

      It seems like art students view laptops as toys, media devices, and gaming rigs. I and my co-workers view it as a vital tool. You would not sit down and use someone elses computer unless you are showing them something. It would just be weird to ask someone to use their computer for personal stuff.

      --
      The more people I meet, the better I like my dog.
    11. Re:easy. by DesertBlade · · Score: 2, Informative

      Ubuntu already has a guest account built in. Easier then rebooting to a linux on a stick, and allows for fast user switching. If I remember correctly after logging out of the account everything is removed so it was like it was never used. The also have limited user rights so they can't hose up your system.

      --
      Half of writing history is hiding the truth.
    12. Re:easy. by Vu1turEMaN · · Score: 3, Informative

      You forgot step 2.

      1. Enable your guest account.

      2. Make sure your account has a password on it that is always prompted, so when the fast user switching kicks in and they log off the guest account, they can't get into your account without a password.

      My friend lent me his laptop once with a guest account, and i merely logged off of it and switched back to his account which wasn't password protected. Huge failboat.

    13. Re:easy. by chainLynx · · Score: 2, Funny

      Too complicated. Just use a console all the time. Nobody will ask to use your 'DOS' machine again.

  2. art school lol by pieisgood · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Not take it to class and pay attention instead.

    --
    Eat sleep die
  3. Its all about the wallpaper by DarkProphet · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am guessing using goatse as your wallpaper will cut down on the requests.

    --
    What could possibly hurt the security of the American people more than giving our own government the ability to hide its
    1. Re:Its all about the wallpaper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      This may prove to have the opposite effect you'd expect. We *are* talking about an art school, after all.

      *ducks*

  4. Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by SimonShine · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and just say "You can try." and smile. :-)

    --
    Take off every 'ZIG' !!
    1. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by Phil+Urich · · Score: 4, Insightful

      yea then you have to learn dvorak in the first place. God I think the only reason people use that kbrd config is to be an elitist. I taught myself dvorak a few years ago buying into the hype that it was faster...well its not, and this is coming from someone that can do ~100 WPM QWERTY

      Uhhhhh....did it never occur to you that your speed and familiarity with QWERTY would be why Dvorak is slower for you? I know my sister types significantly faster with Dvorak than Qwerty; she wasn't terribly fast at Qwerty at the time, nowadays she uses Qwerty about 30% of the time and Dvorak 70% at the time and is at about ~100 WPM on Dvorak but 60 WPM on Qwerty.

      --
      I remember sigs. Oh, a simpler time!
    2. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by MichaelSmith · · Score: 2, Funny

      When they can not find the @ key, they usually give up.

      How do you type an email address in Iceland?

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    3. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by supernova_hq · · Score: 4, Funny

      with mittens.

      *ducks*

    4. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by Novus · · Score: 2, Informative

      When they can not find the @ key, they usually give up.

      How do you type an email address in Iceland?

      By pressing AltGr-Q to get an @ symbol, at least on XP. European keyboards often move characters that are seldom used (in whatever country the layout corresponds to) around to strange places to make room for extra alphabetic characters and dead keys with accents that can be combined with letter keys to produce accented characters. To compensate, the AltGr key (which replaces Right Alt) is added as an extra shift key. Apple keyboard layouts are, naturally, completely different, so one of the quickest ways to reduce a Finnish hacker to tears is to make him code on a Mac; for example, braces are hidden behind Alt-Shift-8 and Alt-Shift-9 (instead of the normal AltGr-7 and AltGr-0) and more often than not are not shown on the key tops!

      Part of the problem is programmers who don't care about international use (often Americans) and start using symbols that are easy for them to type but uncommon in other countries. That said, lots of European layouts feature gratuitous layout changes; for example, the German keyboard swaps Y and Z for no apparent reason.

      In conclusion, I'd say using an unusual keyboard layout is more likely to drive the technically-minded bonkers than the artistic. Unless it's Dvorak.

    5. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by Ihlosi · · Score: 4, Informative

      the German keyboard swaps Y and Z for no apparent reason.

      Compare the frequencies of the letters Y and Z in both English and German, and the reason becomes obvious.

    6. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by houghi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Considering how often I would need to be fast typing and how often I type and then re-read, I could not be bothered. Even when writing an email or this here, I stop and re-read and correct and re-write parts.

      Imagine I could double my typing speed, I would not double my efficiency, just the part where I am typing and I do more non-typing then I do typing. When I look at other people, they use the keyboard even less and do much more with the mouse.

      I know there are people that will be much more productive if they could increase their typing speed significantly and are at the limit with QWERTY or AZERTY. I also think that that is only a minority.

      I think you should not look at the WPM, which is from the time of the typewriter, but at the whole task. Say answering a long email. Some rough guessing. Say the answer is 100 words. So answering with Dvorak would take 1 minute. With qwerty 2 minutes (bit less). Now getting the email, reading it, understanding it, looking for what to answer and perhaps taking action on what to do takes up 20 minutes. So with that specific mail, instead of 22 minutes for the task I would take 21 minutes.

      So it depends heavily on the task as to the usefulness of the training time. I just pick and type with basically three or four fingers yet I am often faster with a task then somebody else who is much faster at typing.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    7. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by fprintf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Back in the stone ages when I was in school we used to do this with our HP RPN calculators. Some nob head would forget their calculator and ask to borrow it. "You can try" was always a prelude to a funny few moments as they tried to do a simple calculation.

      --
      This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood MBA.
    8. Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard... by moranar · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Part of the problem is programmers who don't care about international use (often Americans) and start using symbols that are easy for them to type but uncommon in other countries. That said, lots of European layouts feature gratuitous layout changes; for example, the German keyboard swaps Y and Z for no apparent reason.

      That was a hilarious couple of sentences, rebutting in the first one the assumption you make in the second...

      --
      "I think it would be a good idea!"
      Gandhi, about Internet Security
  5. Just be paranoid. by Atlantis-Rising · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I must admit, I've never had this problem. Probably because I have a very long password and I lock my PC whenever I turn my head away from the screen. As long as you're obviously paranoid enough with your PC, chances are, people won't ask you to use it.

    --
    "It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance
    1. Re:Just be paranoid. by TheWanderingHermit · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is close to my thoughts. Basically make it visibly and notably hard for them to use. Either use a Linux desktop with things configured in a way that works for you but will confuse them, or use Firefox with No-Script installed so Javascript or other key and important features don't work on their email accounts or anything else that works for you but will make it hard for them. At some point they'll realize it's more of a pain to use your computer than to wait or do something else.

      Also, when they complain about some change you've made, like disabling IE so they have to use Firefox, say, "Sorry about that, but I set it up for what works for me and what keeps my data safe. I'm sure if you had your own computer, you'd set it up for you and not other people."

    2. Re:Just be paranoid. by fractoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He's an artist. A fairly techy one but an artist nonetheless. Therefore, acting like a rabid dog every time anyone glances at his computer is probably not a valid option for him, because in his quality matrix, interacting with other people has a decidedly positive weight.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    3. Re:Just be paranoid. by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 2, Funny

      He's an artist. A fairly techy one but an artist nonetheless. Therefore, acting like a rabid dog every time anyone glances at his computer is probably not a valid option for him, because in his quality matrix, interacting with other people has a decidedly positive weight.

      Are you kidding? Have you hear how much money goes for paintings by batshit-crazy artists???

      This would be a brilliant move!

    4. Re:Just be paranoid. by pz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He's an artist. A fairly techy one but an artist nonetheless. Therefore, acting like a rabid dog every time anyone glances at his computer is probably not a valid option for him, because in his quality matrix, interacting with other people has a decidedly positive weight.

      This is perhaps the most insightful comment on this thread.

      And it leads to the real issue: the OP, out of his or her own good heart, is sharing a valuable resource with others. Kudos to them. But the burden of this altruism is becoming worrisome. Fundamentally, this person is providing a service that the institution provides, but badly. The OP needs to speak not with Slashdot, but with the host institution to work out an equitable solution, likely including more readily available institution-owned hardware that resists physical attack (read: theft).

      I had a similar situation when in college, as I had a van. One of those huge full-sized vans without windows, a big sliding door, and nothing in the cargo compartment but a thin carpet on the floor. Everyone wanted to borrow my van. Refusing wasn't a morally acceptable option for me. So, what I did was to charge a nominal fee that benefited me, was not onerous to the borrower, and was well below market rates, so I could still feel good about being nice to my friends. For the van, the rate was either one case of beer, or a full tank of gas upon return (depending on the gas level and anticipated travel involved).

      If the OP cannot convince the institution to pony up to provide a necessary service for its students, then he should start charging some nominal fee for use of his laptop. Better if it is a barter-based fee, rather than a monetary one. Say, lunch the next day. Or the price of a couple of beers after school. Or a dollop of some important art supply (guache or something). My advice to the OP is to be creative in figuring out what to charge, but charge SOMETHING for the service they are providing, even if only a nominal, token amount.

      Finally, since someone is borrowing something of value, the OP also needs to be entirely explicit about the rules surrounding what happens when something goes wrong and the item returns broken. For my van, it was simple: the borrower agreed to cover all costs of repair or damage, period, fully understanding that it was an old van with a relatively high probability of failure. For a laptop, repair usually means replacement, so the borrower needs to understand the liability they are undertaking when borrowing a delicate and expensive bit of kit and explicitly acknowledge it. If not on paper, then verbally, in front of witnesses.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    5. Re:Just be paranoid. by moranar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I didn't know that "interacting with other people has a decidedly positive weight" only for artists.

      --
      "I think it would be a good idea!"
      Gandhi, about Internet Security
  6. Just say no by GrahamCox · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Be firm. Saying no needn't be rude and unfriendly. Your friends will know where you stand, and stop asking. You don't have to tell them to "fuck off", just explain in a friendly manner. If you're afraid your friends will desert you or stop liking you because you won't give them access to your laptop, I'd suggest you have other issues. Also, if they did that, they couldn't really have been friends.

    1. Re:Just say no by zwei2stein · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you refuse such simple, harmless and costless request, you are not really their friend either.

      --
      -- Technology for the sake of technology is as pathetic as eschewing technology because it's technology.
    2. Re:Just say no by GrahamCox · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How do you know it's costless? Only the OP knows that - clearly the fact he has misgivings indicates that he does not consider this costless. My wife and I don't even allow each other access to our respective laptops in normal use, and I wouldn't say we weren't really "friends".

    3. Re:Just say no by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oh, come on! Giving access to your machine is no big deal... I have no problem with anyone using my computer in a guest account. Obviously they won't get Admin/root[1] rights on it and obviously they won't get access to your files. Running an (installed) app, reading their own data (from USB/CD) is not a problem in a "Limited User" account (to use the retarded Windows lingo... a "user" to me is by definition "limited") . There is no risk to your data (inaccessible folder), no risk of a trojan/worm/virus to hose your system: worst case something nasty might get installed running as that user, but I haven't seen such a thing yet.

      If you really don't trust them enough, watch over their shoulder. They shouldn't object to that.

      Oh, and he's in art school... Lots of horny sexy chicks... Don't want to close down your options there because you don't let them access your computer...

      [1] I don't even run Admin/root myself... Not on Windows XP and not on Linux.

    4. Re:Just say no by artor3 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's not even comparable to kissing someone's wife. The fact that you think it is tells me just how much you value possessions compared to people.

    5. Re:Just say no by crazybit · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Lending your laptop once in a while is OK, specially when you are truly helping someone who's laptop got infected by a virus or some other problem. Helping others in emergencies is good for friendships and enhancing relations with colleagues.

      On the other side, providing unlimited access to your laptop is dangerous for your data and equipment, and saying "you are rude" if you deny their petition is just a psychological technique to manipulate - "psycho-bullying".

      Say no and explain the reasons politely, and offer them you will help them if they plan to buy a laptop. If they tell you you are being rude after that, it means they don't know what 'Friendship' means.

      --
      - Human knowledge belongs to the world
    6. Re:Just say no by supernova_hq · · Score: 2, Funny

      Might I remind you where you are...

    7. Re:Just say no by Ihlosi · · Score: 2, Funny
      Anyhow, to state obvious that needs to be stated, borrowing wife is not harmless nor costless.

      Why, if they're really careful (like friends always are, right) and observe some simple rules, it is.

    8. Re:Just say no by Ihlosi · · Score: 2

      But telescopes. What the hell is the big issue with telescopes?

      Look at the price tag of a decent model, and you'll know. (Heck, it's exactly the same for cars, guns, cameras and spouses).

  7. Rude and Unfriendly by Cabriel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm resistant to letting anyone use my laptop. It's password protected and my roommate, the computer programmer, has commented in disbelief that it's not like he'll ever do anything harmful with it. However, I don't let it stop me.

    Look at it from the other side: They're being just as rude, maybe more so. It's rude for your friends to impose their whims on you when you've apparently made it evident enough that you aren't comfortable with letting them all at your machine, willy-nilly.

  8. Guest account with Fast User Switching. by tpgp · · Score: 5, Informative

    "As one of the most tech-oriented students

    Tech oriented? Why don't you come up with a solution then? This is not a hard problem to solve.

    in my art-oriented institution"

    Aaaaaaaaah, OK. I see where you're coming from.

    The most obvious solution I can think of (assuming you're on XP/Vista) is for you to set up a second user and Fast user switch whenever someone else wants to use your laptop.

    Assuming your classmate's technical competence is below yours, that should be adequate security measures.

    --

    The Captcha is: Lars Traeger is full of shit.

    --
    My pics.
    1. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by broken_chaos · · Score: 4, Informative

      And if you're not using Windows, both OSX and many Linux desktop environments integrate something similar. ...Though I suppose I'd have to guess your references to "dual booting Ubuntu" means with Windows, and not alongside another Linux distro or on a Macbook.

    2. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by holloway · · Score: 2, Informative

      Since at least Ubuntu 7.10 (ie 2007 October) Ubuntu has had fast user switching

      --
      -Docvert converts MSWord to OpenDocument, clean HTML
    3. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by sortius_nod · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or tell them to go fuck themselves.

      Honestly, if they need to use it that much why have they not bought their own?

      A laptop costs almost nothing compared to most art supplies, if they complain they don't have the cash... ask them how much they paid for their last photo enlargements? In this day and age not having a laptop is like not having a pen. Sure, once in a while when you forget the tool it's cool to borrow, but not having one and always using others is not acceptable.

      One thing I usually find most annoying from art students is the attitude that "art supplies" are more important than the tools they use to learn with. I feel it's more about being able to say "I spent $500 making that artwork, respect it!" than actually creating art. Then again, maybe I'm either too cynical, or my priorities are different.

      I've been unemployed for extended periods of time (years), but haven't been without a computer since I was 16 (I bought my first computer myself too) - I'm 29 now. I've always considered being connected with the world at large as a vital part of being human, others don't, then again, why are they asking to borrow your laptop?

      Goes back to telling them to fuck off... or harden the fuck up. Which ever is more appropriate.

    4. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or tell them to go fuck themselves.

      I've been unemployed for extended periods of time (years)

      Gee, I wonder why

    5. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by Ralph+Spoilsport · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I agree.

      Art Schools are the worst for whiny incompetent self absorbed losers with entitlement issues. I should know - I've attended three and have an advanced degree in fine arts. The few people that were "real" are to this day some of my closest friends and colleagues. The rest were fucking morons I couldn't stand then and have no time for now.

      If they want something done, they need to take the responsibility to make sure it happens and then GET OFF THEIR LAZY BUTTS and MAKE IT FUCKING HAPPEN.

      You don't have to be nice. You don't have to share. And these people need to learn that they need to depend on themselves and be competent on such self-reliance. When they do that, they become better people.

      That said, if someone's presentation is fucked because their laptop puked blood and died, then: Yes, you would win big karma points letting them use your machine. But if they're bugging you for your machine to check facebook, they're leeches who should just choke on their own tongues.

      RS

      --
      Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
    6. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by wgoodman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      being in the same boat and having the same degree, i can say with all honesty that beyond the first year, art school exists solely to teach you how to bullshit. it's not a matter of what you create, it's how you sell it to the others. hell, look at the dada movement as proof.

    7. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by SausageOfDoom · · Score: 5, Informative

      Or even better than switching users, install something like VirtualBox and install the OS of your choice on that, then create a snapshot of your clean OS installation. Disable auto-run for flash drives in your parent OS.

      When someone asks to borrow your machine, run the virtual machine, make it full-screen and let them do whatever they want. When they're finished, restore to the snapshot of the clean installation.

      Very minimal risk of your main OS being compromised by malware, and no access to your files and browsing history, unless they figure out how to get out of it - but even then I assume you'll be with your machine at all times to monitor usage. Otherwise, as the rest of the thread says, run virtualbox in a different user account to stop access to your files.

    8. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by SlashWombat · · Score: 2, Funny

      All your really saying is Don't bend for a friend or you'll get it in the end!

      Seriously though, as someone else pointed out, just create a guest account, and prohibit execution in that account.This is known as Using protection!

    9. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by petes_PoV · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Honestly, if they need to use it that much why have they not bought their own

      Deep down he likes it. Maybe it's the only way to get women to talk to him - I don't know.

      The thing is that he wants people to keep using his stuff, if he was too inconvenienced, or the risk was too high to balance the benefits he gets (or at least, thinks he gets) he'd stop doing it. What he wants though, is to prevent them from screwing up his stuff (or planting viruses/backdoors - either inadvertently or maliciously). What he should be more worried about is physical damage - like someone he's lent it to dropping it.

      There's no remedy for that, as if these people can't afford a lappy of their own they won't be in a position to pay for the damage they do. The guy should think about that as a bigger problem.

      --
      politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
    10. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by Ash+Vince · · Score: 4, Interesting

      A laptop costs almost nothing compared to most art supplies, if they complain they don't have the cash... ask them how much they paid for their last photo enlargements?

      Or even better, ask them how much they spent on booze last term.

      In fact, the best solution to this is not to tell them they cannot use your PC, the best solution is to start charging a fair hourly rate for laptop rent. This will probably cover the cost of a new laptop just to rent out in next to no time.

      This is perfectly fair as your time in providing a working laptop is probably far more valuable than the laptop itself and they are putting ware and tear on your laptop anyway. If you are going to put in a load of additional time in order to secure it so it can be a shared resource, then you certainly deserve monetary compensation for your time.

      That is how the capitalist world we live in works. It makes sense for your fellow students to learn this as soon as possible since they will all have to join the real world sooner or later unless they plan on trying to find a country that still works on a gift economy.

      --
      I dont read /. to RTFA, I read /. to offend people in ignorance.
    11. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by Peganthyrus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Depends on your teachers and the focus of the school. If you're going to a "fine art" curriculum, yeah. But there are schools that focus on trying to beat all the skills of Actually Being Able To Draw into your tiny little head, too. And then there's going out and getting a job at an animation studio and having a grizzled old vet tell you exactly how shitty your art is in loving detail, and how to make it better...

      --
      egypt urnash minimal art.
    12. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by Ihlosi · · Score: 4, Insightful
      In other words it's exactly like business school

      Maybe, but in art you still need to create _something_.

    13. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by commodore64_love · · Score: 5, Insightful

      All of ye have given good technical answers, and they would most-likely work, but I think ye overlooked the most practical solution:

      "No."

      It's the same answer I give if someone asks if they can drive my $15,000 car, or if they can borrow my $5000 diamond ring, or if they can wear my $1000 suit. No, no, no. A laptop is not a toy; it's a huge investment in both money and time (approximately 1.5 months of hell, err work). And I would explain that to the asker: "If it breaks, are you willing to give me two thousand dollars to get a new one?" Probably not. If it's something trivial like checking wikipedia.com then sure I'll share my laptop, but for something major like doing a presentation on the projection screen, forget it. Let them use the school-provided resources and/or buy their own laptop.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    14. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by morari · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You just described any school, not just those focused on "art".

      --
      "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    15. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by watanabe · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The most practical solution probably won't get you many friends, commodore64_love. I think that the original question asker wants to, you know, have people who like and appreciate him at his art-oriented school.

      Since you seem like a black and white sort of dude, I'll say it in nerdish black and white: refusing to participate in social 'gifting' if you are not an alpha male guarantees that you will drop to the bottom of the social pecking order. Most non-outcast-y people get this intuitively, and it's one reason they have more friends. Outcasts can learn to do this, along with other social niceties and reintegrate, if they choose to.

      Or, they can, you know, keep their laptops to themselves.

      If it sounds harsh, sorry. I'm just trying to engage with you on the level and tone you did. Maybe it will help your social life.

    16. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by tippe · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Ask for a retainer. $600, $900 or whatever the original value of your laptop is. Ask for it in cash (not check or IOU) and say it's because the last time you lent somebody your laptop they dropped it/stole it/lost it, etc, and you were left on the line to replace it. Tell them you'll give them the money back as soon as the laptop is returned in good working order, as determined by you. If they just want to check email real quick right in front of you, tell them "OK, fine, I'll cut you a deal: $300 instead of $600, but no lower". Be adamant and don't ever cave in for anyone (don't accept any "I'll pay you if I break it, I swear" arguments).
      90+% of people won't have the money on them, and most of the remainder will suddenly have to trust that you'll give them back the money when they return the laptop (and you've checked that it works properly), which they may be very hesitant to do. Unless your laptop is brand new, the amount of money they need to put into retainer is more than the cost of the laptop and so as long as your data has little or no value to them, they'll essentially be giving you more than what your laptop is worth, which is likely to discourage anyone from wanting to borrow it.
      Basically, you're sending the ball back into their court and asking that they trust you with a large sum of money. Most won't.

      Also, as other have pointed out, set up a crippled guest account so that if somebody does take your offer, you aren't handing them all of your personal data.

    17. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by Xerolooper · · Score: 2, Funny

      All of ye have given good technical answers, and they would most-likely work, but I think ye overlooked the most practical solution:

      "No."

      Except he went to an "art-oriented institution" to get laid. Yelling "No." at all the pretty girls won't further that goal.

      What he really wants but is to embarrassed to ask to a way to make the laptop hypnotize females when he lets them use it.

      --
      "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." -Thomas Szasz
    18. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by commodore64_love · · Score: 2, Funny

      >>>The most practical solution probably won't get you many friends, commodore64_love.

      I learned long ago that real friendships are not based-upon giving material goods. Back in school I had one of those portables that played videogames, and I shared it with everyone who asked, and then one day the battery died. All my so-called "friends" stopped talking to me. You see... they were just USING me not really developing a true bond. Same situation applies with the laptop.

      >>>Since you seem like a black and white sort of dude

      Wrong. I see shades of gray as well. Like I said before if they want to do a quick check of wikipedia in class, fine I'll share rather than be anal-retentive, but I still wouldn't loan-out my laptop for major work like presentations. That's not a black-and-white viewpoint as you falsely claim, but instead a realistic one.

      >>>If it sounds harsh, sorry. I'm just trying to engage with you on the level and tone you did. Maybe it will help your social life.

      Well I'm sorry but this is clearly an insult against nerds, and I'm taking it as such. I happen to be one of the most-popular persons at my workplace, but that doesn't mean I'm a sponge to be used either. Been there; done that; see my first paragraph.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    19. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by Zemran · · Score: 5, Funny

      So a gay porn screen saver with a short delay would be great... The wanna be macho guys would leave it alone and the girls would "trust" you :-D

      --
      I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
    20. Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching. by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 2, Insightful

      To be honest, it would be more polite to just say "no." The people who won't graciously accept a simple no are not going to act any better if you tell them you want a few hundred dollars first, so that idea really doesn't solve this guy's problem.

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
  9. Is There Something Wrong With User Accounts? by Phat_Tony · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What OS are you running? Is there some reason you can't keep a "guest" account with few privileges and no access to any of your personal data, and just log into the guest account before you hand them the machine?

    The answer of using different user accounts for different users when you want to have multiple people using the same machine strikes me as so obvious, it makes me wonder if I'm misreading the question?

    --
    Can anyone tell me how to set my sig on Slashdot?
  10. Easy reply by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sharing laptops is like sharing toothbrushes.

  11. Uh, how about just different accounts? by rolfwind · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm pretty sure even Windows Vista will keep your porn stash safe, if you log out of your account, and into a guest account for them.... all of 15 seconds. Just make sure you have to sign into your account and that your files are in your directory.

    You probably also want to edit the bios so that it only starts from the harddrive, and that nothing in the bios can be changed without a password

    Don't remember if XP Home enforces seperate directories.

    (There's also the word "no" when people ask...)

    1. Re:Uh, how about just different accounts? by chromas · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't remember if XP Home enforces seperate directories

      It does but file permissions options are normally hidden.

      Also, pr0n belongs in a separate account with an encrypted $home directory on external harddrives encased in a printer which, when not in use, goes into an airtight box buried in a hole under the waterfall in the backyard. Shit! now I have to find a new hiding place.

  12. art school by RuBLed · · Score: 4, Funny

    and give them a nice carebear hug everytime they borrow it.

    1. Re:art school by tehfly · · Score: 3, Funny

      If you do this, you need to the guest account in a Carebear (alt. Hello Kitty) -theme.

    2. Re:art school by elrous0 · · Score: 2, Funny

      If they're anything like the art major girls I went to school with, you might want to get deloused afterward.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  13. Keeping PC safe by ErikPeterson · · Score: 2, Informative

    You could let them play inside a virtual machine: http://www.virtualbox.org/ If you cant say no to people using your system having them trapped in a virtual machine may keep you from reloading windows on your box. If you use windows lock down Internet Explorer to unusual with an admin kit and force them to use Google Chrome, preventing some of the common nasties from eating your computer. The real question is why not just be rude, a laptop is a tool that you use for education most students I know don't have unlimited resources to replace laptops that are damaged by people who are borrowing them.

    --
    The world's smartest bug zapper www.zapstats.com/kickstarter
  14. VM by OpenSourced · · Score: 5, Funny

    Virtual Machines suggest themselves. Do everything school-related in a VM and reset it from time to time. Also, in my experience, art-oriented institutions are choked full of hot chicks, so stop complaining and try to see this as an opportunity. Computer malware is not the only think that you can interchange with a dumb coed, you know.

    --
    Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
  15. Install a VM of Windows by Shikaku · · Score: 2, Informative

    Using VirtualBox. Set it up however you want, then make a snapshot and a save state. When somebody wants the computer, run VirtualBox and load the state (which is very fast to by the way), fullscreen VirtualBox and make the escape key (which will allow you to exit the VM) something much different from the default and only you know.

    It looks like a normal Windows install. Let them do whatever they want.

    When they are done, revert the image back to your to the snapshot. Works as if nothing happened.

  16. A better way by bmo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "For the sake of my privacy, the health of my laptop, and my own peace of mind, I'm reluctant."

    As you should be.

    "But telling my compatriots to go to our building supervisor and ask him for a desktop-on-a-cart, as they should do, is considered rude and unfriendly."

    But you aren't the community PC guy, are you? You are being /used/. Not even mentioning your privacy or possibility of OS infection, what if someone simply drops the machine? I suspect you won't be able to get anyone to pay for the repair or replacement, as they are unwilling to get their own. If this keeps going on, you are going to have a broken computer /and/ a lot of resentment aimed at your so-called friends. This might sound harsh to you, but it is reality.

    There is a solution to this, however. If your group is cohesive enough, maybe each can contribute to the acquisition of a "group computer." This is how the real world works, especially if you are acquainted with the concept of the "office group owned coffee pot and coffee kitty." Same concept. Those who contribute get to use the computer/coffee pot/whatever.

    But if you continue on the current path you are on, it can only end badly.

    --
    BMO

    1. Re:A better way by itsme1234 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The hardware part is a VERY good point. Unless your "friends" break something that can be easily replaced for 5-10$ forget it, you'll have to replace the machine or live with it (if it's only partially broken). Many people couldn't care less about hardware or computers (if they would they would have their own netbook probably); they poke your screen, push the keys sometimes like you would push some broken elevator button, lift the device from a corner despite screeching noises and so on. It's a very nice thing to help other people until you end up with the short end of the stick; you get let's say some broken pixels and you have to live with them for 1-2 years and they get to check their email 7 times instead of 6 times today.

    2. Re:A better way by Ihlosi · · Score: 2, Insightful
      The hardware part is a VERY good point.

      And then there's the whole issue of school firewalls and such. You know, who will that access to a porn site be attributed to - you or the person who was using your laptop at that time?

    3. Re:A better way by TeknoHog · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Many people couldn't care less about hardware or computers (if they would they would have their own netbook probably); they poke your screen, push the keys sometimes like you would push some broken elevator button, lift the device from a corner despite screeching noises and so on.

      Good points, I've had similar experiences. For example, I've let people play some quick action games on my laptop (while I'm near, of course) and some of the rubbet feet came off as they ended up pushing the laptop around on the table. On another occasion, my supervisor pointed out some things on my laptop screen, using a ballpoint pen. Took me hours to clean it up, as I was careful not to scratch it further. And this was a pretty technically oriented person after all.

      I find it appalling how careless most people are with electronics. Perhaps it's just a symptom of the wider throwaway culture. I hear people getting new laptops after a year or two, as the old one has become physically unusable. Whereas I sold my previous laptop after six years of usage in good condition. Another laptop I sold was nearing 15 years of age, and the collector who bought it paid me some unexpected extra for the nice condition.

      Naturally, if you're a road warrior I might understand the wear and tear, but most people manage to ruin their machines in everyday home and office conditions. For example the rubber feet issue, which has led me to keep my laptop generally in one place, while at home. I do have mobile uses for it, but it doesn't mean I would like to bump it around every day.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    4. Re:A better way by NeoSkandranon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "I find it appalling how careless most people are with electronics"

      I think many people simply don't think of the cost of an object unless they bought it themselves.

      I've been asked why I don't let anyone else hold/use my DSLR, to which I reply "are you prepared to replace the body for $800 or the lens for $400?" The realization that it is a somewhat delicate, pretty expensive piece of kit usually shuts them up.

      --
      If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
  17. Re:Sharing is bad by clarkkent09 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Get a friend to pass around a rumor that he caught you watching a porn clip and masturbating onto the keyboard. Nobody will ask for it anymore.

    --
    Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
  18. Ubuntu guest mode by RenHoek · · Score: 3, Informative

    The most recent version of Ubuntu has a guest account that will let people do some web browsing and such, and after that person logs off, everything should be wiped clean automatically again.

    So that seems like it could work..

    Then again, you could just tell them to get their own toys. :)

  19. Virtual Terminal by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Switch to a VT and tell them that only paying customers can use X.

    --
    "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
  20. Let them use a virtual machine! by Terje+Mathisen · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've solved this problem by having a Win XP virtual machine: I put this machine on a second monitor (or external projector) and then I don't have to worry at all about the host OS being messed up.

    Alternatively I can make it fullscreen on the primary/only screen.

    Terje

    --
    "almost all programming can be viewed as an exercise in caching"
  21. Sticky keys by jassa · · Score: 4, Funny

    Open up a bunch of porn sites, and then hand it over to them, but warn them that the keys might be a bit sticky.

    1. Re:Sticky keys by Ihlosi · · Score: 2, Funny
      It turns off the boys quickly

      Correction: It turns off ~90% of the boys quickly.

  22. Re:recent documents and browser history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Make sure that there's always goatse, cupchicks and tubgirl in your history, and some random porn images (bonus points for noodies of yourself) in the recent documents. Wait for the embarassed moment when the poor sucker stumbles over it. Shrug and say "well, it's my machine, what'd you expect", when they start gouging their eyes out. Should teach them the lesson nicely.

  23. Re:Art school or no... by clarkkent09 · · Score: 5, Funny

    go to our building supervisor and ask him for a desktop-on-a-cart

    Who needs laptops when they have desktops on a cart! When I was young all we had were mainframes on a horse. We had to go down to the stables every time we wanted to check our email. Kids these days...

    Seriously though, wtf. Tell them to get their own laptop and teach your art school about laptops too. Tell them they are kind of like desktops on carts but a lot more convenient.

    --
    Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
  24. It's the price you pay by petes_PoV · · Score: 3, Insightful
    You obviously don't need a laptop for your studies (or every student would have one of their own), so the implication is that you carry it as a status symbol. In that case having other people ask to use it is part of the status you have chosen to pursue. It's the price of your vanity.

    BTW, I wouldn't buy any justification based on the idea that you do other things while supposedly studying which mean you "need" to have it. Hopefully the course you have decided to take is sufficiently interesting and rewarding - otherwise maybe you're in the wrong place, studying the wrong subject.

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
  25. Trade! by johannesg · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ask something in return. I'd suggest sexual favors from women, and money from guys.

    1. Re:Trade! by pathological+liar · · Score: 3, Funny

      He's at an art school. More appropriate advice is likely "Ask for sexual favors from both."

    2. Re:Trade! by RockDoctor · · Score: 2, Interesting

      He's at an art school. More appropriate advice is likely "Ask for sexual favors from both."

      Simultaneously.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  26. Re:Sharing is bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Remember, this is an _art_ school...

  27. Re:Sharing is bad by Sebilrazen · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's because it was a home video, what you let that horse do to you...

    That image is still burned into my... err... his retinas.

    --
    "There are no facts, only interpretations." --Friedrich Nietzsche.
  28. Re:Appropriate? by sortius_nod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think you've missed the point. These people are asking to use his laptop in class. If I'm not using my machine at home I don't expect some random I barely know to rock up and ask to use it. Why should it be any different at university/collage/school?

    It really is a case of people learning to deal with either not having the tool or getting their own (fuck off or harden the fuck up).

    Turning this into a "socialise with physical beings" debate is very silly, kind of like telling someone who doesn't want to lend a pen out to spend more time with their lecturer.

  29. Re:VMWare Workstation by Ihlosi · · Score: 2, Funny
    What's an XP license? :P

    It's similar to a Vista license, just less sucky.

  30. Personally by ledow · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Do I know you? If not, bugger off.
    Do I trust that you know what you're doing enough to not click Delete etc. ? If not, bugger off.
    Do I think that you'll lend it on again, let anyone else use it, or are using it where it's likely someone will "steal" it for a laugh or take it over or pass it around or make off with it? If so, bugger off.
    Do you understand the importance that the use of that laptop, and the data on it, means to me? If not, bugger off.

    I'm wary of lending my PC to even family, it rarely comes back the same way it was given and 99% of everybody has a laptop in the big colleges/universities nowadays - it's one of those "Mum and Dad bought me this for college" items.

    And the magic word is "No". If you don't want to do it, just don't do it. Of course they'll whinge and moan, but then that's up to THEM to get their own laptop and guess what? When people borrow theirs and start breaking it, they'll whinge and moan too. And when they then refuse to lend it, they'll get whinged and moaned at.

    I never lend personal laptops except to a (literal) handful of people, I *NEVER* lend work laptops at all. If someone wants to be left *unsupervised* with a laptop of mine, I have to *know* that it'll come back in the same state it left. And if a guest wants to use a laptop, I have old, crappy spares - enough to load a webpage, not enough for them to be happy using it for anything other than the essentials (e.g. checking for *vital* emails).

    Hell, I've got a previous post on here about how I lock down my wireless so that guests staying with me *can't* use it unless I specifically let them (not just a WPA key or similar) and when they *do* use it, they know that everything is monitored and filtered.

    Call me unsociable, or uncooperative, or untrusting, I don't care. It's *my* property, it's *incredibly* expensive property, it's incredibly fragile property and it's loaded to the hilt with data that's important to me and will cost me a lot of time to recreate (even if it's only the icon layout, or a particular set of settings).

  31. misidentifying the problem by cstacy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "As one of the most tech-oriented students

    Tech oriented? Why don't you come up with a solution then? This is not a hard problem to solve.

    in my art-oriented institution"

    Aaaaaaaaah, OK. I see where you're coming from.

    The most obvious solution I can think of (assuming you're on XP/Vista) is for you to set up a second user and Fast user switch whenever someone else wants to use your laptop.

    Assuming your classmate's technical competence is below yours, that should be adequate security measures.

    I find it ironic that someone would get snarky and denigrate the technical competence of an art student by suggesting that the security of their Windows computer is primarily related to the skill of the guest users. The main security threat does not come from a malicous guest who may or may not know anything about cracking computers. The threat comes from pre-packaged intrusion software, in the form of easy-to-click cracking tools, or more likely from viruses introduced from thumb drives and web sites.

    A computer expert would know better than to propogate the myth that computers are breached by teh haxx0rs with elit3 knowledge. Those kind of exploits are available to anyone who can point and click. And the most likely threat is not from your friend in the art class, it's from the viruses he's got on that thumb drive he wants to stick in your computer.

    The reason to provide a guest account is to keep someone from accidently deleting your files, messing up your settings, accessing email and the web with your credentials or accidently replacing them, and of course to keep them from reading your personal files.

    I let my friends use a guest account on my Mac for the same reasons, even though the exploit and virus factor there is practically nil.

  32. Windows Steady State by MulluskO · · Score: 3, Informative

    Here is a real answer:

    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/sharedaccess/default.mspx

    This is software from Microsoft which helps prevent unpriveleged users from altering your computer in any way. Install this, enable the guest account, and switch users when people ask to borrow your machine. You'll need a password on your account, of course.

    --

    Too busy staying alive... ~ R.A.
  33. So wait a second by osgeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    So you're basically saying that you're at a school full of girls that you don't know how to say "no" to but you're afraid that they might accidentally open up your pron folder?

    Is that about right?

    --
    Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
    1. Re:So wait a second by Larryish · · Score: 2, Funny

      Girls in schools don't give the niki-wiki to the pushovers and "nice-guy" types. They give it up to the assertive assholes.

      If you want use your laptop to make headway with the girls, refuse (mostly politely) to let them use it.

      Then you (and your laptop) will become the forbidden fruit and every one of those heifers will want a nibble.

  34. Re:Sharing is bad by Tsunayoshi · · Score: 2, Funny

    the real question is: did you finish watching the nasty horse porn?

    --
    "Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live." - Mark Twain, "Taming the Bicycle"
  35. Re:Appropriate? by rtb61 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You can do a bit better than that.

    If they want to check the email ask them for the user name and password and read it out to them, if they don't trust you with that why would you trust them with your PC.

    If you are fussy about bad files on strange usb drives get them to wait while you scan the usb with anti virus software, they will likely give up before it has finished, claim it is auto configured that way.

    The other one of course is simply make busy with your PC and claim that unfortunately you don't have the time.

    Turn off all auto play features on the USB drive, plug in the USB drive and when they don't see anything come up, like typical end users expect, claim it temporarily isn't working, bugger.

    Checking web sites, only turn on wireless access when you want to use it the rest of time, eep no access, bugger.

    Of course the catch all on notebooks, sorry battery is way down wish I could help but, by the time we get to a power point you could most probably use a computer from one of the labs or library.

    Art types can be very manipulative implying that if you do not serve them you create negative connotations in the supposed relationship, so when they ask you for a favour, have some favours you need in reserve and, request that favour first, should they refuse, discus the reason for their refusal of your request and imply they are fostering a negative relationship, continue to discuss until they give up and go away.

    --
    Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
  36. Re:Grapefruit Juice by Macrat · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The moral of the story is,

    ...that you are a wuss controlled by your peers.

  37. Make it so they don't want to use you computer. by jellomizer · · Score: 2, Funny

    Install Linux with FVWM remove all the menus except for xterm and run all apps threw the terminal. For your own sanity make a bunch of cryptic commands symbolic links and shell scripts to do what you want but you will be the only one who really know and cares to remember the scripts.

    So when they use you computer they will be so perplexed on how to use it as nothing will be intuitive that they just won't ask you to use it.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  38. Err, friends? I don't think so. by pyrr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not sure that "friends" is the appropriate word here. People who are kind enough to beg the OP to use his stuff because they're too lazy or stupid to buy their own are generally not "friends", they're sponges. What's the likelihood they'd do him favors in return when he's in need? Do they hang out with him after class and help him with his work a lot? Or are they just cordial to him and his best pal in the world when they need something from him and otherwise he may as well not exist? If so, they're sponges. If the willingness to be used by sponges is a mark of good social graces, I don't see a problem with being at the bottom of that social pecking order. There are only certain situations involving social politics where it might be to one's advantage to do so.

    That said, there's a place for social gifting. If someone has a desperate need and you help them out, that's an entirely different thing. Your generosity is still a scarce resource that will be appreciated and not assumed or taken-advantage of. If someone really is a friend, it's appropriate to share since generosity is mutual. But for people who just want to take advantage and use your stuff so they don't have to buy and maintain their own, "Sorry, can't help you there," is an appropriate answer, especially if there's --any-- chance you'd lose a non-trivial amount of time and money due to what might someone might do to the item they wish to borrow, and you don't have a reasonable expectation that they'd make it right in such an event.

    1. Re:Err, friends? I don't think so. by blhack · · Score: 3, Insightful

      *DING* you win.

      This is a problem that I'm sure most of slashdot is familiar with: coworkers wanting you to give tech support to their home machines.

      For me, the answer is relative to "how many times have you grabbed me a coffee on your way in to work".

      If the answer is "none", then the answer is "none". It goes up from there until it reaches "do a reinstall"

      --
      NewslilySocial News. No lolcats allowed.
  39. Mod parent up by MythoBeast · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a question of who is being more rude - the person with the laptop, or the person asking to borrow it. Laptops are a personal resource, not a community one, and I somehow doubt that anyone is providing you with any benefit for using it, short of "not hating you for life."

    There are lots of reasons for not letting others use your laptop. School resources get pretty beaten up over time, and you don't want your laptop to wind up looking like one of those. Battery life is a limited resource, not just the charge, but also the number of times you can charge the battery, and they are EXPENSIVE. My laptop now has three ports that have just given up the ghost from regular plugging and unplugging.

    Let's face it. Nobody in high school NEEDS to check their email during school hours, but you do need to keep your laptop working. Damage caused by casual users is inevitable, not just to the OS, but to the hardware itself. Asking you to allow that damage simply because you're supposed to be nice is RUDE, and shows no respect for your property.

    So, unfortunately, it's not just a matter of saying no, but of educating them regarding why borrowing your laptop is unacceptable. I hope this provides you with a good start.

    --
    Wake up - the future is arriving faster than you think.
  40. The real hassle is driving projectors by Animats · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Every time I go to some big conference, there's a clusterfuck as someone tries to get their laptop to talk to the projector.

    If you lend your machine out for that sort of thing, make very sure that autorun is turned off for all external media. Someone is going to put in a CD or a USB stick that has something on it that will try to autorun.

    Incidentally, if you're giving a talk, have everything set up in advance. When the projector turns on, your first slide should be up. Not a Windows desktop. Not a PowerPoint slide tray. Not "New updates are available for your computer." And especially not "Low Battery". That's amateurish. I used to have a housemate who was a roadie for rock groups, a stage rigger, and also did event setup at Stanford. She insisted presentations run like theatrical performances; any prep work takes place out of sight of the audience. If you're in art school, definitely learn to do this right.

  41. I had very similar problem in grammar school by stasike · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I am from generation that saw the introduction of a handheld calculator.

    I finally got one in 7-th grade in grammar school. Many, many of my clasmates didn't have calculator at the time. From time to time people from the next class would come to our class and each of them was trying to borrow a calculator, because they has physics test that day and they wanted to save time by not having to do calculations by hand. I hated, just HATED to put my precious programmable calculator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elektronika_MK-61 into the hands of some ignorant clumsy non-geek ;-))
    At that time a good calculator was about as valuable in my country as a netbook is in USA today.

    So, when one of them came to me to borrow my calculator it went like this:
    "Hey, can you lend me a calculator"
    "Of course, no problem at all"
    "Let me just show you how it works. You plug in the power adaptor to the wall socket, switch the thing on like this ..."
    "now let's compute 3*5. OK?"
    "you type 3"
    "now you move 3 to the next register by pressing this symbol - you see this gorgeous thing uses Reverse Polish Logic"
    "now you type in 5"
    "and finally you press * symbol to tell the calculator to compute ..."
    "Hey ... do not run away ... I can show you how to cleverly use the next two registers for parenthesis ... "

    Install some nasty looking geeky system on your notebook and every time one of your art oriented friends comes along just start explaining how this obscure distro works ...