Hm, I don't feel Android is so open if I am forced to use Java:) I have yet to see a live device to judge, but... meh:)
On the other hand, I'd go Android any day as opposed to WM or iPhone if I had to buy stuff for university. On the other hand, when people get shoved stuff for "free"...
I just hope those students are not forced to go the iPhone way; I wouldn't like to be forced to pay stuff to my telco just because I entered a university. (I hope they were at least a bit reasonable, but in today's society...)
Why use ANYTHING default? I like switching even farther away. You'd be surprised how cool Gnome's Cleanlooks fits into Windows, especially when combined with Tango iconset. There are several patchers out there, try looking for them.
On a side note, imagine how much it all stands out under real Gnome;)
Remember, sometimes people can't explain things because they lack language skills, not because they don't know skills. On the other hand, they can do any code you may assign them. I have a friend who is a perfect example; he probably wouldn't be able to (easily) explain what's object oriented, not because he doesn't understand it but because he can't explain things.
Don't you think those will be phased out soon, too? I bought one for my laptop, thinking I may need it, but I think I put a diskette in there twice in total. And I think it was plugged in a total of four times (once in combo with another USB floppy in order to see what will happen in Windows when A: and B: are already assigned; it's was an F:)
On the other hand, I may have missed one point. It will surely still be easy to find second hand drives. But I think my point stands for new drives.
Aff I just tried it. And I tell you. There are no time vault guardians. There is no temporal police. It's the Slashdot. Its filters prevent me from talking to the future.
If there was a free alternative with sufficient compatibility which I don't have to pay for, I would still not subscribe to such a service.
The problem arises when I start being forced to do it. For example, when the machines start using trusted computing to expel a free OS and a free office suite.
You can vote with money only if everyone else votes with money. Since everyone else is inert, and large companies have loads more money than we do, we can't pressure neither our respective governments, nor the companies to make a difference.
If I suddenly stopped shopping somewhere, it would not matter sh*t to the shop, since there's loads of other people who are willing to go there. Donations to foundations such as EFF may be another matter (we're, like, saving them from ceasing to exist) but still, I don't believe in money voting.
No child's first language should be C. Simplest way to pique a child's/teen's interest is with something like Logo. (Okay, well, perhaps it's a little late for that, if he's a teen... except if he's an early teen?)
I'm involved in an organization here in Zagreb, Croatia, which works with talented children, and during the last several years we have high success rates: Zagreb children's rankings in national competitions have significantly improved. We don't start with C, not even BASIC. Most of those children have started with Logo.
Why Logo? Simple. It's an interpreter, meaning it's interactive. It features a small turtle which draws on screen. Later on, it features interesting list-based processing functionalities.
When I was teaching, what were my first lessons to the children (as young as second grade of elementary school)? First, you show them how to draw lines. Then how to turn around (in the process teaching them what angles expressed in degrees mean). Then you show them that some commands are repeating:
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
So you teach them loops:
REPEAT 4 [FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90]
As you can see, Logo is even better for English-speaking children. Once your child can handle some basic problems in Logo, perhaps even code a small graphical game, try switching the child to something like Visual Basic 6.0 (yes, the fugly beast). I don't have any recommendation within GNU/Linux environment since I'm not aware of any simple enough WYSIWYG development environment like what VB6 provides. Mono and.Net are not simple enough for early teens, in my opinion.
A possible alternative for GNU/Linux might be Python for command line studying, but a child might be happier to develop a calculator or an addressbook, or a simple tic-tac-toe game, for a GUI. wxPython is ok, but only for later studies, when child is already familiar with command line programming in Python.
I've heard of Lazarus, a WYSIWYG GUI IDE for Free Pascal, but I have never had the opportunity to sit down and spend half an hour messing around with it.
And oh yea, Pascal is also a good post-Logo language. However don't run to C. A child has to be really talented in the early teens to be able to comprehend techniques in C. Besides, for a modern era child, there's no joy in scrolling alphanumerics. It was cool for children in 1980s and early 1990s, but today's children are used to GUIs, to Unreal Tournament, etc. If there's any chance of getting them to programming, you need to get them to work with graphics.
#2) As long as people pirate Photoshop, a cheaper alternative will never be created. Gimp anyone? Do you think that thing would suck balls so much after so many years if it was impossible to get Photoshop for free? Oh no, it probably would be a full fledged alternative by now.
Oh, hell, no!
I honestly can't tell if you're being sarcastic here. I'm using only GIMP for all my image editing needs. True, they're not professional needs, but a skilled artist can surely work with GIMP too! It's just that they're all used to Photoshop's interface and its filters. But if they honestly tried to work with GIMP, their productivity would not decrease all that much.
What you want to do with Photoshop you can do with GIMP, too. Perhaps Photoshop is a bit easier, but when did nerds like/.ers start to appreciate easiness? GIMP provides all essential features, and that's enough for me to use it as a primary tool.
What I'm missing, tho, is Photoshop CS import. I was given some CS.PSDs a year ago for work, and I never opened them, instead requesting.JPG conversion. Otherwise GIMP never betrayed me.
> You know, people have worked to develop the product. Money has been invested. It's a company, it's supposed to make a profit, not to create software out of pure charity.
You know, crackers have worked to develop the crack. Time has been invested. They're crackers, they're supposed to make fame for themselves, not to create software to have their credits stolen from them.
Indeed, I have great memories starting with 2001 and its sequels. Then I devoured more and more of Clarke's opus. Hm, that reminds me, I should try to find more his works I haven't read and complete my Clarke reading.
What are the chances of me running into something like that? Small or nil. Besides, will I really get software for GNU/Linux from a "high profile web server"?
I think the biggest problem I might run into is compromising the Debian archive. And something tells me that no antivirus would protect me from that. In fact, millions of Debian installations would be instantly compromised if something like that happened.
Slashdot is the base of operation for basement dictators; on the other hand, so are many forums, and that's why I learned to read every word someone says. Gotta learn to crush the dictators:)
1. I don't browse (usually) for pr0n or for cracks, so I don't worry. And I use Opera on GNU/Linux.
2. Why worry about autoplay if you don't use Windows?
3. I trust everything my friends or family send me to Gmail, since Gmail has virus detection. Oh, did I mention I don't run Windows?
GNU/Linux is not safe... it's just safER. And since many "informed users" are satisfied with security of Windows, how could I be not satisfied with GNU/Linux? Besides, what will they infect? Stuff stored in my home directory? Stuff that I can _easily_ clean up with Knoppix? (Unlike with Windows, I am reasonably sure I can find and solve any problem on my installation that originates in my home directory.)
Don't give me "this doesn't work under Linux" crap. If GNU/Linux doesn't have the answer, you're giving the wrong question. Or do my last year and a half of active use of GNU/Linux say otherwise? (Not to mention I used it before, but only occasionally; in last year and a half, it's Windows that's being used only occasionally.)
Lesson of the day? Don't use Windows.
Irrelevant poster #1001089 thinks irrelevant poster #11985 doesn't understand the problem another irrelevant poster #458692 is facing, and that is non-OCRed PDFs. That means, PDFs with no text at all. Text doesn't get embedded unless you turn on the OCR (available perhaps in Acrobat, but not in all PDF conversion tools).
Irrelevant poster #1001089 is fully aware of such PDFs and why they're needed, so no need to insult.
I have many non-OCRed PDFs with no such layer. Want a few? Want to search them? Tell me when you're done.
He said he hates non-OCRed PDFs. He's surely aware of searchability of text PDFs. Image PDFs are horrible on the other hand. You've completely missed his point.
Slashdot Mirror
We're honestly thinking of porting our FLOSS 2D MMO (shameless plug, had to do it) :)
Hm, I don't feel Android is so open if I am forced to use Java :) I have yet to see a live device to judge, but ... meh :)
On the other hand, I'd go Android any day as opposed to WM or iPhone if I had to buy stuff for university. On the other hand, when people get shoved stuff for "free"...
I just hope those students are not forced to go the iPhone way; I wouldn't like to be forced to pay stuff to my telco just because I entered a university. (I hope they were at least a bit reasonable, but in today's society...)
Why use ANYTHING default? I like switching even farther away. You'd be surprised how cool Gnome's Cleanlooks fits into Windows, especially when combined with Tango iconset. There are several patchers out there, try looking for them.
On a side note, imagine how much it all stands out under real Gnome ;)
Remember, sometimes people can't explain things because they lack language skills, not because they don't know skills. On the other hand, they can do any code you may assign them. I have a friend who is a perfect example; he probably wouldn't be able to (easily) explain what's object oriented, not because he doesn't understand it but because he can't explain things.
Requiring a government license for plumbing and serving liquor is silly. But I don't want everyone to investigate me, I don't want anyone to drive me.
Don't you think those will be phased out soon, too? I bought one for my laptop, thinking I may need it, but I think I put a diskette in there twice in total. And I think it was plugged in a total of four times (once in combo with another USB floppy in order to see what will happen in Windows when A: and B: are already assigned; it's was an F:)
On the other hand, I may have missed one point. It will surely still be easy to find second hand drives. But I think my point stands for new drives.
Aff I just tried it. And I tell you. There are no time vault guardians. There is no temporal police. It's the Slashdot. Its filters prevent me from talking to the future.
It's already hard to find 3.5" IDE HDDs as well as 3.5" floppies. How hard will it be in 4 years, I'll let you conclude.
Iz it bee-kozz Aye iz blakk!?
:)
Some of us read it precisely because it's a community of "high", "end", "thinkers"
If there was a free alternative with sufficient compatibility which I don't have to pay for, I would still not subscribe to such a service.
The problem arises when I start being forced to do it. For example, when the machines start using trusted computing to expel a free OS and a free office suite.
You can vote with money only if everyone else votes with money. Since everyone else is inert, and large companies have loads more money than we do, we can't pressure neither our respective governments, nor the companies to make a difference.
If I suddenly stopped shopping somewhere, it would not matter sh*t to the shop, since there's loads of other people who are willing to go there. Donations to foundations such as EFF may be another matter (we're, like, saving them from ceasing to exist) but still, I don't believe in money voting.
I'm involved in an organization here in Zagreb, Croatia, which works with talented children, and during the last several years we have high success rates: Zagreb children's rankings in national competitions have significantly improved. We don't start with C, not even BASIC. Most of those children have started with Logo.
Why Logo? Simple. It's an interpreter, meaning it's interactive. It features a small turtle which draws on screen. Later on, it features interesting list-based processing functionalities.
When I was teaching, what were my first lessons to the children (as young as second grade of elementary school)? First, you show them how to draw lines. Then how to turn around (in the process teaching them what angles expressed in degrees mean). Then you show them that some commands are repeating:
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90
So you teach them loops:
REPEAT 4 [FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90]
As you can see, Logo is even better for English-speaking children. Once your child can handle some basic problems in Logo, perhaps even code a small graphical game, try switching the child to something like Visual Basic 6.0 (yes, the fugly beast). I don't have any recommendation within GNU/Linux environment since I'm not aware of any simple enough WYSIWYG development environment like what VB6 provides. Mono and .Net are not simple enough for early teens, in my opinion.
A possible alternative for GNU/Linux might be Python for command line studying, but a child might be happier to develop a calculator or an addressbook, or a simple tic-tac-toe game, for a GUI. wxPython is ok, but only for later studies, when child is already familiar with command line programming in Python.
I've heard of Lazarus, a WYSIWYG GUI IDE for Free Pascal, but I have never had the opportunity to sit down and spend half an hour messing around with it.
And oh yea, Pascal is also a good post-Logo language. However don't run to C. A child has to be really talented in the early teens to be able to comprehend techniques in C. Besides, for a modern era child, there's no joy in scrolling alphanumerics. It was cool for children in 1980s and early 1990s, but today's children are used to GUIs, to Unreal Tournament, etc. If there's any chance of getting them to programming, you need to get them to work with graphics.
Avoid C! He's not ready for it.
#2) As long as people pirate Photoshop, a cheaper alternative will never be created. Gimp anyone? Do you think that thing would suck balls so much after so many years if it was impossible to get Photoshop for free? Oh no, it probably would be a full fledged alternative by now.
Oh, hell, no!
/.ers start to appreciate easiness? GIMP provides all essential features, and that's enough for me to use it as a primary tool.
.PSDs a year ago for work, and I never opened them, instead requesting .JPG conversion. Otherwise GIMP never betrayed me.
I honestly can't tell if you're being sarcastic here. I'm using only GIMP for all my image editing needs. True, they're not professional needs, but a skilled artist can surely work with GIMP too! It's just that they're all used to Photoshop's interface and its filters. But if they honestly tried to work with GIMP, their productivity would not decrease all that much.
What you want to do with Photoshop you can do with GIMP, too. Perhaps Photoshop is a bit easier, but when did nerds like
What I'm missing, tho, is Photoshop CS import. I was given some CS
Which is related to the article but not your parent #24271957. Reply where appropriate.
> You know, people have worked to develop the product. Money has been invested. It's a company, it's supposed to make a profit, not to create software out of pure charity.
You know, crackers have worked to develop the crack. Time has been invested. They're crackers, they're supposed to make fame for themselves, not to create software to have their credits stolen from them.
Indeed, I have great memories starting with 2001 and its sequels. Then I devoured more and more of Clarke's opus. Hm, that reminds me, I should try to find more his works I haven't read and complete my Clarke reading.
Gnome? GIMP? BASH? Linux and MySQL are not the end of the world. In fact, I think BASH is the most popular product after Linux (as a kernel) itself.
What are the chances of me running into something like that? Small or nil. Besides, will I really get software for GNU/Linux from a "high profile web server"?
I think the biggest problem I might run into is compromising the Debian archive. And something tells me that no antivirus would protect me from that. In fact, millions of Debian installations would be instantly compromised if something like that happened.
No problem ;)
:)
Slashdot is the base of operation for basement dictators; on the other hand, so are many forums, and that's why I learned to read every word someone says. Gotta learn to crush the dictators
No, you have to be logged on to view a movie flagged as "mature" :(
Here are my responses:
... it's just safER. And since many "informed users" are satisfied with security of Windows, how could I be not satisfied with GNU/Linux? Besides, what will they infect? Stuff stored in my home directory? Stuff that I can _easily_ clean up with Knoppix? (Unlike with Windows, I am reasonably sure I can find and solve any problem on my installation that originates in my home directory.)
1. I don't browse (usually) for pr0n or for cracks, so I don't worry. And I use Opera on GNU/Linux.
2. Why worry about autoplay if you don't use Windows?
3. I trust everything my friends or family send me to Gmail, since Gmail has virus detection. Oh, did I mention I don't run Windows?
GNU/Linux is not safe
Don't give me "this doesn't work under Linux" crap. If GNU/Linux doesn't have the answer, you're giving the wrong question. Or do my last year and a half of active use of GNU/Linux say otherwise? (Not to mention I used it before, but only occasionally; in last year and a half, it's Windows that's being used only occasionally.)
Lesson of the day? Don't use Windows.
It's not Tolkien ring, it's Token ring.
Irrelevant poster #1001089 thinks irrelevant poster #11985 doesn't understand the problem another irrelevant poster #458692 is facing, and that is non-OCRed PDFs. That means, PDFs with no text at all. Text doesn't get embedded unless you turn on the OCR (available perhaps in Acrobat, but not in all PDF conversion tools).
Irrelevant poster #1001089 is fully aware of such PDFs and why they're needed, so no need to insult.
I have many non-OCRed PDFs with no such layer. Want a few? Want to search them? Tell me when you're done.
That's because no real GNU/Linux distro includes Flash :)
He said he hates non-OCRed PDFs. He's surely aware of searchability of text PDFs. Image PDFs are horrible on the other hand. You've completely missed his point.