Something more than Doom on my Cassiopeia. Even better, I put it on the Cassiopeia E-125 and it ran straight away. Excellent to see these sorts of projects underway.
Is anyone thinking of doing something similar for the PalmOS products? There would be a huge demand for this sort of project I'm sure. The IIIc would never be the same again
Ages ago I made a statement about not liking the Macs or MacOS at all. This was mostly due to my bad experiences in the past with the older PPC machines and iMacs.
A few weeks ago I actually managed to go out and buy for myself a PowerMac G4 with OS9 on it and love the beast. I was originally going to be killing OS9 and sticking LinuxPPC on there in its place, however now that I've been playing with the machine and have become a little more familiar with the way it works and how to actually move around in the OS, I've actually started to enjoy using it. I now use my G4 a lot more than any of my other computers. My linux client and server boxes are now sitting almost dormant with lights flashing mournfully at the lack of attention. Half my windows boxes are fighting off the spiders and other bugs that are looking to build a nest inside the PSU.
On all my linux boxes, I have run the Aqua Enlightenment and GTK themes for a long time now. I love the way it looks. The E theme even has some pretty cool functionality that I enjoy and is easily accessible. Problem is, it doesn't run Mac or Windows software easily, getting things like MSOffice to run (which I need for work) is a mission and a half unless I install VMWARE and Win(whatever).
I definitely intend to install OSX on my Mac when its released publically. I can't be bothered paying for the public beta this close to the release of the OS (2 months isn't a lot of time). I want the Aqua GUI and I want to be able to run things like Apache, Samba, MySQL, ProFTPd and the other apps that I use on my linux boxes and that will allow me to more easily share my files and documents with the whole network without AppleShare crap being loaded onto the NT computers.
I never intend to replace my Linux boxes, and I can't realistically get rid of all my Windows boxes either (Unless someone knows of a way I can access an NT/2K VPN network from Linux or MacOS). At the same time however, I have no intention of putting Linux on my Mac given that MacOSX is this close to final release and will essentially allow me to do with my G4 all the things that putting Linux on it would've allowed me to do.
Do I think that Linux in general is going to be threatened by MacOSX? No. Do I think that the LinuxPPC project is going to be threatened by MacOSX? Marginally. Techies that want a free OS are still going to live and die by LinuxPPC, but those of us (like myself) that want the GUI, want the tailored performance and want the functionality that Linux offers while at the same time being supported 100% by a major company like Apple would've been just as likely to buy OSX anyway.
 
I don't think the Linux community has anything serious to worry about. I do not intend to lessen my support for the platform simply because MacOS X is being released. All PC's that I do buy have Linux installed on them unless they have a specific purpose that Linux cannot do for me. I'll keep my games for Mac and Windows, do my network administration, database hosting, Intranet hosting and just my general whatever else in Linux. Unfortunately, until the novelty of a machine as damn fast as my G4 wears off, I'll be spending a lot of my time playing with my Mac. You cannot imagine how fast it is to render a graphic now or how much more fun it is putting together web pages in an environment that while still familiar is just that much newer and different to keep my attention that little bit longer. Oh, and Quake and Unreal Tournament on my G4 both run so much faster at higher resolutions than they do on my P3 (Windows or Linux versions)
I have been using the Aqua theme for a very long time now... Pretty much since it was first released around the time when Apple first released the screenshots of Aqua and MacOSX.
The GUI is great, the interface is clean and easy to follow and its pure eye candy. I have quick and easy access to pretty much all the Enlightenment features without having a heap of buttons cluttering up my desktop or the title bars of my applications. I use it because I like it... But Apple needs to realize that its not the functionality thats being used, its purely the eye candy. The rest of the Aqua functionality is sitting pure and pretty where it belongs... On a hunk of junk known as a G4.
I don't buy Apple PC's because I don't like the way the PC's themselves work. I don't like the way the PC's function or even the way you navigate the file system. I'm not saying its bad, I'm just saying I personally don't like it.
If Apple released OS 10 for other platforms (x86 being the most obvious) then I still wouldn't buy it. I don't like the way the OS works, but I do like the way it looks. I played with a beta release on a friends G4 and as much as I like the look of it, the feel of it turned me off.
Okay... So what if Apple recall these GUI imitations, it wouldn't take much to alter the colors and slightly modify the widgets and then Apple couldn't touch it.
I just think that Apple is being completely pig headed about something that isn't really going to affect their sales at all. A theme for a competitive OS windowing system isn't going stop people buying MacOS-X, the OS itself is whats going to do it. Regardless of how it looks, its still a P.O.S IMHO.
Reading through the posts is kind of funny. Half the people are freaking out... "OH MY GOD!/. HAS BEEN HACKED!!!" and the other half are going "Phhhft... Yeah right..".
Whats the worst that can come of a successful hack against the/. database? A password leak, a few karma points added/deleted, a few posts getting majored?
Guys and girls, if you use the same password on/. that you use on other services around the internet, then you're begging for trouble. It doesn't matter if its/. or any other service, you should always use a different password for each. As inconvenient as it is, its the only real way of being secure. There are plenty of programs out there that will let you mantain a "secure" database of all your usernames/passwords if you really think you're going to have a hassle remembering them all. Just search zdnet or any of the other major shareware/freeware sites. Admittedly most of them are Win32 based, but using things like wine you can usually get around that problem.
The biggest issue is the possibility of the articles being tampered with. I don't know what else is done on the box that hosts slashdot, but if the usual rules are applied, the database should be secure on a seperate machine to the web server.
This is a blessing more than it is a curse. The great wonders of opensource have shown us that even the mighty/. has an exploit in it now and then. I wonder if this would've been made so public if the slashcode wasn't opensource. As it stands, the flaw has been located and supposedly fixed.
Oh well, could be worse I guess.;) At least they didn't deface the site or destroy the database or any other number of things that could've been done.
<panic>OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! SLASHDOT HAS BEEN HACKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!</panic>
Every six months or so, hostilities once again erupt between the KDE and Gnome communities. These battles are usually sparked when the king of the Gnomes, Miguel de Icaza, grants an interview and just can't seem to resist saying something gratuitously nasty about KDE.
You know something? I think that its comments like this that start the debates and wars off again. I have grown sick and tired of the debate. Gnome and KDE both have their features and uses that are suited to different tasks better than the other. Which is the better? Depends on your own personal point of view.
The purpose of my desktop is to give me a GUI that I can use, that is configured the way I feel most comfortable and it looks the way I want it to. Using Gnome, I can configure my desktop and place icons upon it with relative ease. I can access all my programs through an easy to use and easy to configure menu system. I can create applets on my "gnome bar" that allows me fast and easy access to the applications I use most or even to control those applications. Using Enlightenment I can make my window frames and icons look any way I so desire and have those functions I use/want show as icons on the window frames. With GTK+ I can change the appearance of my applications to suit the scheme I want and the colours I desire.
Now before a lot of you go off at me saying that KDE can do that... I know it can. But its the little things that make the difference as most of you know. I am not saying KDE is worse or inferior to Gnome, I'm not even insinuating anything close to it. What I'm saying is that I use Gnome because it suits my tastes and performs the tasks I ask of it in a way that I like and prefer. KDE just didn't do it for me.
So what about this article? Dennis Powell is just flamebait. He's trolling for a reaction by attempting to insult members of the community. So saying that, we do have to respect that he is entitled to his opinion and his beliefs. It matters little that they are derogatory and worded specifically to inflame the community. Are we really so worried about which is better that comments like this are let to cause the reaction he wants?
The desktop we use should not be decided by which one is "better". It should be decided by the question "Which one does what I want it to do and in the way that suits me the most?". There is no other real way to decide which is the better desktop as its a relative question and can only be answered by one person. Yourself.
Ignore the types of reviews like this one from Dennis Powell. They serve no purpose other than to incite disruption and disharmony. Instead, look at the real reviews. Those that concentrate on the technical differences, the benchmark results, the ability of the product to do what its designed to do. Add to that your own reseach into the specs of the software and then make a decision for yourself. Don't be a sheep and follow the flock just because its the in thing to do. Be an individual and make up your own mind about something and decide for yourself which is the better.
I dunno about you, but personally I think that porting the AOL software to Linux is a very good idea. Not because it gives Linux users access to AOL but because it gives AOL's existing client base the opportunity to try a great OS that has the ability to do great things without having to get a whole new ISP connection. If done right, AOL could score HUGE browny points off this one.
Think about it this way. Right now people are less likely to switch to Linux because everything they do and all their data is on Windows based systems. With StarOffice going OpenSource (read freely available to EVERYONE) and the ability of StarOffice to be able to open with pretty good accuracy a document from MS Office, thats one thing out of the way. Now that AOL is porting their software, a much larger user base is going to have one less excuse to swap to a much more secure and stable system than Windows.
The biggest thing that could hold this sort of process up is the "elite" attitude of so many vocal Linux Users out there. I know many people that have been put off trying to use Linux because when they ask someone online for help, the only response is RTFM. Newsgroups, IRC and even a lot of web based services are like this. They don't help people because if you're using Linux (or pretty much any *nix for that matter) you're expected to know it already. Its this sort of attitude that is causing the most detrimental harm to the advancement of Linux in the desktop space. I'm not saying everyone does it, but I've seen more people turned away from Linux because of it than those that have stuck with it.
AOL porting to Linux offers users the chance of having a well known and well supported ISP that will help them get their brand new Linux computer connected and won't just respond "RTFM". This is something that needed for Linux to grow beyond just a server platform and be recognised as something more than just a gimmick for script kiddies to use to cause havoc and DDoS attacks.
What? Now you all complain because the one thing people have complained most about has been resolved?
For years people have hassled Microsoft because DOS was sitting under Windows 9x. Now Microsoft have created an OS that boots straight into Protected Mode, getting rid of DOS and people complain about it. UNBELIEVABLE! GET A GRIP!
I have been using Windows ME since the early beta's. I have to admit that Windows ME is to Win9x what Windows 2000 was to Windows NT. A huge improvement over the previous versions. Its more stable, faster, and a lot more user friendly. It still runs inside my VMWare without a problem. The driver model is still backwards compatible as well as having the new WDM system improved over Win98.
I can survive using a command shell on WinME the same as I have to for WinNT or Win2K. Even without the recovery console, its still a benefit. As for needing a Win98 boot disk or CD, get your facts straight. Windows ME can still create a boot floppy in exactly the same way you have always been able to in Win9x releases.
DOS is an archaic dinosaur of the past. It does nothing more than slow a computer down. Memory management is close to non-existant, multi-tasking is impossible without Desqview, Windows or some other multi-threaded/tasking application. Hardware support doesn't exist beyond the very bare basics. DOS is not like the great BASH, ZSH, CSH or any of the other popular Unix shells. It is a remnant of an old age when computers weren't much better than a type-writer with a built in calculator.
I for one am glad to be rid of DOS. To the newbie or un-experienced, it is probably the most dangerous place for someone to play. You would not believe the number of people that try DELTREE just to see what it does. For years now we've lived with this dinosaur slowing us down, locking us to a burdened system while we complain about stability and downtime.
I have no problems with WinME and linload. You can still do a multi-config boot system in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files without any issue. I personally created a config that will load my usual real mode drivers before Windows ME or it will load nothing except linload. This all occurs before Windows ME gets into protected mode and starts loading Protected Mode drivers. Thus, in my view, there is no issue at all there.
Why is it that people are always bitching about improvements and saying "This is Microsofts way of trying to kill off Linux!". Microsoft has been telling us they were intending to remove real mode DOS from Windows for years now. Now that its finally happened, why do we complain? Its never been a secret that it was going to happen.
Stop trying to bash MS for whatever issues you think exist. Get your facts straight before people start flaming MS. Hell, if it wasn't for MS in the first place, the majority of us wouldn't even have PC's the way we do now. MS opened the market up to everyone by providing easy to use OS's and software. Since then the market has opened up to a whole heap of new possibilities. Stop flaming MS unless they do something that is truly wrong or anti-competitive. What they do with their OS's is up to them in the end, but don't flame them for trying to advance them. Getting rid of DOS is a GOOD thing, not an anti-competitive thing.
So, my question is this, if you feel so strongly against American laws, then why do you continue to use American companies on the Internet?
I feel strongly against the American laws? When did I say that? Personally I couldn't give a stuff about American laws and politics. It doesn't affect me unless the US congress decides to drop a bomb on my home, and the chances of that are as slim as Microsofts chances of getting out of their anti-trust case unscathed in any way.
My point is that regardless of how we all feel (and I do support Napster) the law remains unchanged and as such, those of us that use services like Napster and Gnutella and Scour Exchange and all the others, are breaking the law as it is now.
Contrary to how you appear to perceive me, I do agree that the RIAA is going about things the wrong way, however I am not so deluded to think that just because a law is outdated it is okay to break it. The RIAA is well within their rights to sue Napster, the MPAA is well within their rights to sue scour.net. Whether or not them doing so is perceived as good or bad is up to the individual.
But is it legal for a company to help you trade music? It is a gray area.
Okay, is it legal to willingly drive a get-away car for a bank robber? My point is that aiding and abetting any crime, regardless of the social perception of that crime, is illegal.
As for what country I'm in, this one, that one, any one. It makes no difference. I am just glad I'm not in the USA. I'm sure its a nice place once you're used to it, but I wouldn't want to live there myself. Hasn't really impressed me in the past, recent events (online and offline) impress me even less.
So write senator Hatch and tell him that he is the man!
Why would I do that? I do not even live within the US or any of the nations it stands over.
The law is outdated, ambiguous, and it is restricting the entire digital entertainment industry.
Regardless of how outdated, ambiguous or restrictive a law is, its still the law. Just because we don't agree with it does not mean that we are not legally obliged to abide by it until we can get it changed. Breaking the law until the policy is changed is still breaking the law, regardless of the intent of that person(s).
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm growing tired of people bickering over who is right and who is wrong.
Napster has provided a service to all that is convenient, easy to use, fast and comprehensive. Through the Napster servers you can search for any song you like and more often than not, you'll find what you're looking for.
This is great, but its wrong. Copyright laws are in place for a reason. They are there to protect the artist and his rights to retain ownership of what he creates. In this case, music. The RIAA is there to protect those rights of the artist. Napsters very essense is against those rights, and breaches the copyright laws that have been in place for many many years.
People complain that the RIAA is only interested and cares about the lining of their pockets being coated with dollar bills, and to an extent I agree. Many artists and the RIAA are continually charging people far to much and most of us are at breaking point. We like the music, we support the music, but many just cannot afford to buy it.
However that does not excuse the fact that by sharing your files on, and downloading files from Napster you are breaking the LAW. The law that has existed to protect artists for many years now but that with the digital revolution, appears to have been thrown out the window.
So what if its easy to do? So what if there is no way to stop it? Regardless of how people feel about it, its still illegal.
How does this tie in with Napster? Quite simple. They are aiding and abetting the practice of copyright infringement and THAT is illegal in pretty much any western country of the world. Napster are in the wrong.
Now, before you think I'm totally anti-napster and pro RIAA, let me rip into the RIAA's methods and madness.
No matter whether Napster is doing something it shouldn't or not, the RIAA needs to understand that instead of trying to squash Napster and destroy it, they would probably achieve a lot more by partnering with it. Trading MP3's online is no different to recording a bunch of songs from the radio or TV hows/movies from the TV and letting your friends have copies of those recordings. Its illegal, its wrong, but its common practice and something that most people I know do or have done.
The RIAA needs to understand that they cannot shut down MP3 trading (Just as the MPAA cannot stop DivX or VCD trading by closing down Scour Exchange). In effect, what they're actually doing is promoting the traders hobby, bringing more people to the ranks and pushing all the traders deeper underground. I have been using Gnutella for a while now, and the court telling Napster to shut down its servers created such a huge surge in the number or people connected to the network, it flooded me right off.
The existance of digital versions of music, movies, TV shows, graphical images and the like are here to stay. Anyone with half a clue can see that. What needs to be done, and what several companies are working on doing, is create a digital medium that can protect copyright while at the same time being as easy to use as an MPEG file (both video and audio types). The best idea I've heard of so far is watermarking the medium in a way that would destroy the file if it were removed.
The biggest problem with these initiatives is that the online community sees everything on the internet as free for all. If its available in a digital form then the online community assumes that the author or the copyright holder has given up its legal rights to it and anyone can have it. So what do we as a community need to do? We need to help and promote services that will allow us to continue to enjoy the benefits we have now, while at the same time not stepping outside the bounds of real world legalities. The Cyber Universe exists inside and is very heavily dependant upon the Real Universe for its existance. That means that it too falls within the bounds of real world legalities.
We NEED to learn that just because its in binary does not mean that its any different to its analogue counterparts. The medium is different, the content is the same. We need to learn that we cannot break the law simply because we are in the cyber universe where national boundaries do not exist. By breaking the laws of the real world, we are giving governments and companies reason and right to start enforcing censorship and all that goes with it.
The RIAA is legally right, but their methods are wrong. Napster itself is a great service, but its methods are illegal and wrong. There IS a happy gray zone in there, but so far, everyone has done their best to avoid it, simply because it would mean conforming in the Cyber Universe to a rule/law that exists in the Real Universe. Come one people, pull your heads in. We don't cease to be humans simply because we log on to an ISP and sit in front of a computer.
PS. Don't get me wrong. I'm just as annoyed at the RIAA for trying to do this as most others are. I admit to being a trader (ironic eh?). The difference is that I acknowledge and understand that by letting others copy my files and by copying others files, I break the law. What a lot of people don't seem to grasp is that this is wrong. Too many people see it as their right to download anything, regardless of the laws involved.
In New Zealand we have a little piece of paper known as the Privacy Act. This little bill makes it illegal for anyone to obtain, use, distribute or whatever, anything about me unless they have MY direct permission to do so. In all the discussion I have read on Slashdot, no one seems to have taken this into consideration.
Effectively what this means is that the police cannot read my emails unless I give them permission to do so, or they obtain them from the intended recipient with their permission. It is just the same as the police being unable to give out my name, address, phone number and criminal record details unless they have a court order or my permission.
So how does this play into effect as far as I'm concerned?
Simple. Primarily, for the government and the police to pull this off, they'd have to amend the already existing and established Privacy Act before they could even pass this new bill before the house. Secondly, we live in a democratic country. If we can get enough people to back it and sign a petition, a referendum can be forced which would request that all those eligable to vote do so on this particular topic. The downside is that this requires that there be those willing to stand up, make a stand and prepare a petition. There also needs to be awareness of this petition for people to sign it.
The first thing us NZ'ers need to do is write to our local MP (Member of Parliament) and express our concern and state exactly what our views on this issue are. Tell them exactly why we think this is a bad idea and why we consider it a breach of our privacy. In New Zealand, if you contact any MP or Minister, they are legally required to reply in some form or another.
As a service to all out there, here is the website to go to to find the email address of not only the Prime Minister herself, but also of the MPs and Ministers.
So what about this argument of using encryption? I don't encrypt mail when I send it snail mail. I don't encrypt my cheques when I pay bills. I don't encrypt my postcards home when I'm overseas. I don't have to decrypt my newspaper when I read it in the morning. Would someone tell me why I should have to encrypt email? It is my right to send email in the manner I so choose. I know there are elements on the internet that are "shady", but I calculate that risk into the content of the email every time I press the send button. I don't see why a government should force me to use encryption simply because a few bad eggs on the net have gotten smart enough to use a computer instead of the phone.
The most amusing part to all this is that the last time there was any terrorist activity in New Zealand was when a few Frenchmen bombed the Greenpeace boat "Rainbow Warrior" in Auckland harbour. (What is it about the French and blowing things up? Rainbow Warrior, Muaroa Atol and the nuclear testing, and more recently a Concorde full of Germans.) With the lack of terrorist activity in NZ, and crimes being mostly theft and road issues, why does the police even need to snoop emails? Bank robbers in NZ just go into a bank with a gun and a stocking and demand money over the counter.
If anyone in NZ wants to get a petition going (I've already started one in my area of Auckland) look at my user info page, remove the "nospam" from my email address and get in touch with me.
This article on CNN states that the shutdown is to occur at 3am EDT on Saturday Morning.
This is most outstanding. With all the reports of Napster actually promoting and improving music sales, this kind of injuction is like a slap in the face of the whole community. I wonder if they realise that they're likely to get a whole bunch of people popping up with their own versions. There are a lot of alternative clients out there for Napster, it won't be hard for someone to engineer an alternate server application.
Suddenly Gnutella (and its clones) looks like it could see a huge rise in popularity. You can't get banned from it, can't be easily traced with it, and you can share everything, not just MP3's. RIAA is going to have a lot more to tackle than just MP3 sharing. Movies, warez, music and anything else you can think of are going to be so much easier to get hold of now.
RIAA needs to stop and listen to what the people are saying instead of forever looking into their wallets. We do buy the legitimate stuff, but we like to know what it is we're getting before we shell out those hard earned dollars.
1) For those of you in New Zealand that seek a free ISP that is Linux (or any other OS) friendly, i4free is very excellent. I have now been using them since they pretty much started and am very happy with their service. The fact that they are working on WAP and other advanced services makes them even more desirable. I know of no other free service provider in New Zealand doing what they're doing.
2) I don't know if anyone else has ever thought of this, but I was reading some information from the July feature article of Scientific American and thought to myself, "What if we are the most developed, most advanced civilisation in existance?". Think about it. What if we, mere humans of planet Earth, are the most technologically and socially advanced living creature in the universe? Our broadcasts and attempts to reach other life may not be failing because there's nothing out there, but more so because maybe no one else has the ability to broadcast using light, sound or radio let alone receive the broadcasts. This is the complete inverse to what we've always assumed. So far we've assumed that life out there is at a similar or more advanced technological level to ourselves, but maybe we're the more advanced.
Nothing outstandingly mind numbing, but it is a possibility and something to think about on those long boring nights trying to get a program finished or server back online.
Slashdot Mirror
Something more than Doom on my Cassiopeia. Even better, I put it on the Cassiopeia E-125 and it ran straight away. Excellent to see these sorts of projects underway.
Is anyone thinking of doing something similar for the PalmOS products? There would be a huge demand for this sort of project I'm sure. The IIIc would never be the same again
Ages ago I made a statement about not liking the Macs or MacOS at all. This was mostly due to my bad experiences in the past with the older PPC machines and iMacs.
A few weeks ago I actually managed to go out and buy for myself a PowerMac G4 with OS9 on it and love the beast. I was originally going to be killing OS9 and sticking LinuxPPC on there in its place, however now that I've been playing with the machine and have become a little more familiar with the way it works and how to actually move around in the OS, I've actually started to enjoy using it. I now use my G4 a lot more than any of my other computers. My linux client and server boxes are now sitting almost dormant with lights flashing mournfully at the lack of attention. Half my windows boxes are fighting off the spiders and other bugs that are looking to build a nest inside the PSU.
On all my linux boxes, I have run the Aqua Enlightenment and GTK themes for a long time now. I love the way it looks. The E theme even has some pretty cool functionality that I enjoy and is easily accessible. Problem is, it doesn't run Mac or Windows software easily, getting things like MSOffice to run (which I need for work) is a mission and a half unless I install VMWARE and Win(whatever).
I definitely intend to install OSX on my Mac when its released publically. I can't be bothered paying for the public beta this close to the release of the OS (2 months isn't a lot of time). I want the Aqua GUI and I want to be able to run things like Apache, Samba, MySQL, ProFTPd and the other apps that I use on my linux boxes and that will allow me to more easily share my files and documents with the whole network without AppleShare crap being loaded onto the NT computers.
I never intend to replace my Linux boxes, and I can't realistically get rid of all my Windows boxes either (Unless someone knows of a way I can access an NT/2K VPN network from Linux or MacOS). At the same time however, I have no intention of putting Linux on my Mac given that MacOSX is this close to final release and will essentially allow me to do with my G4 all the things that putting Linux on it would've allowed me to do.
Do I think that Linux in general is going to be threatened by MacOSX? No. Do I think that the LinuxPPC project is going to be threatened by MacOSX? Marginally. Techies that want a free OS are still going to live and die by LinuxPPC, but those of us (like myself) that want the GUI, want the tailored performance and want the functionality that Linux offers while at the same time being supported 100% by a major company like Apple would've been just as likely to buy OSX anyway.
 
I don't think the Linux community has anything serious to worry about. I do not intend to lessen my support for the platform simply because MacOS X is being released. All PC's that I do buy have Linux installed on them unless they have a specific purpose that Linux cannot do for me. I'll keep my games for Mac and Windows, do my network administration, database hosting, Intranet hosting and just my general whatever else in Linux. Unfortunately, until the novelty of a machine as damn fast as my G4 wears off, I'll be spending a lot of my time playing with my Mac. You cannot imagine how fast it is to render a graphic now or how much more fun it is putting together web pages in an environment that while still familiar is just that much newer and different to keep my attention that little bit longer. Oh, and Quake and Unreal Tournament on my G4 both run so much faster at higher resolutions than they do on my P3 (Windows or Linux versions)
 
 
Blessed Be
Korgan
I have been using the Aqua theme for a very long time now... Pretty much since it was first released around the time when Apple first released the screenshots of Aqua and MacOSX.
The GUI is great, the interface is clean and easy to follow and its pure eye candy. I have quick and easy access to pretty much all the Enlightenment features without having a heap of buttons cluttering up my desktop or the title bars of my applications. I use it because I like it... But Apple needs to realize that its not the functionality thats being used, its purely the eye candy. The rest of the Aqua functionality is sitting pure and pretty where it belongs... On a hunk of junk known as a G4.
I don't buy Apple PC's because I don't like the way the PC's themselves work. I don't like the way the PC's function or even the way you navigate the file system. I'm not saying its bad, I'm just saying I personally don't like it.
If Apple released OS 10 for other platforms (x86 being the most obvious) then I still wouldn't buy it. I don't like the way the OS works, but I do like the way it looks. I played with a beta release on a friends G4 and as much as I like the look of it, the feel of it turned me off.
Okay... So what if Apple recall these GUI imitations, it wouldn't take much to alter the colors and slightly modify the widgets and then Apple couldn't touch it.
I just think that Apple is being completely pig headed about something that isn't really going to affect their sales at all. A theme for a competitive OS windowing system isn't going stop people buying MacOS-X, the OS itself is whats going to do it. Regardless of how it looks, its still a P.O.S IMHO.
Reading through the posts is kind of funny. Half the people are freaking out... "OH MY GOD! /. HAS BEEN HACKED!!!" and the other half are going "Phhhft... Yeah right..".
Whats the worst that can come of a successful hack against the /. database? A password leak, a few karma points added/deleted, a few posts getting majored?
Guys and girls, if you use the same password on /. that you use on other services around the internet, then you're begging for trouble. It doesn't matter if its /. or any other service, you should always use a different password for each. As inconvenient as it is, its the only real way of being secure. There are plenty of programs out there that will let you mantain a "secure" database of all your usernames/passwords if you really think you're going to have a hassle remembering them all. Just search zdnet or any of the other major shareware/freeware sites. Admittedly most of them are Win32 based, but using things like wine you can usually get around that problem.
The biggest issue is the possibility of the articles being tampered with. I don't know what else is done on the box that hosts slashdot, but if the usual rules are applied, the database should be secure on a seperate machine to the web server.
This is a blessing more than it is a curse. The great wonders of opensource have shown us that even the mighty /. has an exploit in it now and then. I wonder if this would've been made so public if the slashcode wasn't opensource. As it stands, the flaw has been located and supposedly fixed.
Oh well, could be worse I guess. ;) At least they didn't deface the site or destroy the database or any other number of things that could've been done.
<panic>OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! SLASHDOT HAS BEEN HACKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!</panic>
Every six months or so, hostilities once again erupt between the KDE and Gnome communities. These battles are usually sparked when the king of the Gnomes, Miguel de Icaza, grants an interview and just can't seem to resist saying something gratuitously nasty about KDE.
You know something? I think that its comments like this that start the debates and wars off again. I have grown sick and tired of the debate. Gnome and KDE both have their features and uses that are suited to different tasks better than the other. Which is the better? Depends on your own personal point of view.
The purpose of my desktop is to give me a GUI that I can use, that is configured the way I feel most comfortable and it looks the way I want it to. Using Gnome, I can configure my desktop and place icons upon it with relative ease. I can access all my programs through an easy to use and easy to configure menu system. I can create applets on my "gnome bar" that allows me fast and easy access to the applications I use most or even to control those applications. Using Enlightenment I can make my window frames and icons look any way I so desire and have those functions I use/want show as icons on the window frames. With GTK+ I can change the appearance of my applications to suit the scheme I want and the colours I desire.
Now before a lot of you go off at me saying that KDE can do that... I know it can. But its the little things that make the difference as most of you know. I am not saying KDE is worse or inferior to Gnome, I'm not even insinuating anything close to it. What I'm saying is that I use Gnome because it suits my tastes and performs the tasks I ask of it in a way that I like and prefer. KDE just didn't do it for me.
So what about this article? Dennis Powell is just flamebait. He's trolling for a reaction by attempting to insult members of the community. So saying that, we do have to respect that he is entitled to his opinion and his beliefs. It matters little that they are derogatory and worded specifically to inflame the community. Are we really so worried about which is better that comments like this are let to cause the reaction he wants?
The desktop we use should not be decided by which one is "better". It should be decided by the question "Which one does what I want it to do and in the way that suits me the most?". There is no other real way to decide which is the better desktop as its a relative question and can only be answered by one person. Yourself.
Ignore the types of reviews like this one from Dennis Powell. They serve no purpose other than to incite disruption and disharmony. Instead, look at the real reviews. Those that concentrate on the technical differences, the benchmark results, the ability of the product to do what its designed to do. Add to that your own reseach into the specs of the software and then make a decision for yourself. Don't be a sheep and follow the flock just because its the in thing to do. Be an individual and make up your own mind about something and decide for yourself which is the better.
I dunno about you, but personally I think that porting the AOL software to Linux is a very good idea. Not because it gives Linux users access to AOL but because it gives AOL's existing client base the opportunity to try a great OS that has the ability to do great things without having to get a whole new ISP connection. If done right, AOL could score HUGE browny points off this one.
Think about it this way. Right now people are less likely to switch to Linux because everything they do and all their data is on Windows based systems. With StarOffice going OpenSource (read freely available to EVERYONE) and the ability of StarOffice to be able to open with pretty good accuracy a document from MS Office, thats one thing out of the way. Now that AOL is porting their software, a much larger user base is going to have one less excuse to swap to a much more secure and stable system than Windows.
The biggest thing that could hold this sort of process up is the "elite" attitude of so many vocal Linux Users out there. I know many people that have been put off trying to use Linux because when they ask someone online for help, the only response is RTFM. Newsgroups, IRC and even a lot of web based services are like this. They don't help people because if you're using Linux (or pretty much any *nix for that matter) you're expected to know it already. Its this sort of attitude that is causing the most detrimental harm to the advancement of Linux in the desktop space. I'm not saying everyone does it, but I've seen more people turned away from Linux because of it than those that have stuck with it.
AOL porting to Linux offers users the chance of having a well known and well supported ISP that will help them get their brand new Linux computer connected and won't just respond "RTFM". This is something that needed for Linux to grow beyond just a server platform and be recognised as something more than just a gimmick for script kiddies to use to cause havoc and DDoS attacks.
What? Now you all complain because the one thing people have complained most about has been resolved?
For years people have hassled Microsoft because DOS was sitting under Windows 9x. Now Microsoft have created an OS that boots straight into Protected Mode, getting rid of DOS and people complain about it. UNBELIEVABLE! GET A GRIP!
I have been using Windows ME since the early beta's. I have to admit that Windows ME is to Win9x what Windows 2000 was to Windows NT. A huge improvement over the previous versions. Its more stable, faster, and a lot more user friendly. It still runs inside my VMWare without a problem. The driver model is still backwards compatible as well as having the new WDM system improved over Win98.
I can survive using a command shell on WinME the same as I have to for WinNT or Win2K. Even without the recovery console, its still a benefit. As for needing a Win98 boot disk or CD, get your facts straight. Windows ME can still create a boot floppy in exactly the same way you have always been able to in Win9x releases.
DOS is an archaic dinosaur of the past. It does nothing more than slow a computer down. Memory management is close to non-existant, multi-tasking is impossible without Desqview, Windows or some other multi-threaded/tasking application. Hardware support doesn't exist beyond the very bare basics. DOS is not like the great BASH, ZSH, CSH or any of the other popular Unix shells. It is a remnant of an old age when computers weren't much better than a type-writer with a built in calculator.
I for one am glad to be rid of DOS. To the newbie or un-experienced, it is probably the most dangerous place for someone to play. You would not believe the number of people that try DELTREE just to see what it does. For years now we've lived with this dinosaur slowing us down, locking us to a burdened system while we complain about stability and downtime.
I have no problems with WinME and linload. You can still do a multi-config boot system in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files without any issue. I personally created a config that will load my usual real mode drivers before Windows ME or it will load nothing except linload. This all occurs before Windows ME gets into protected mode and starts loading Protected Mode drivers. Thus, in my view, there is no issue at all there.
Why is it that people are always bitching about improvements and saying "This is Microsofts way of trying to kill off Linux!". Microsoft has been telling us they were intending to remove real mode DOS from Windows for years now. Now that its finally happened, why do we complain? Its never been a secret that it was going to happen.
Stop trying to bash MS for whatever issues you think exist. Get your facts straight before people start flaming MS. Hell, if it wasn't for MS in the first place, the majority of us wouldn't even have PC's the way we do now. MS opened the market up to everyone by providing easy to use OS's and software. Since then the market has opened up to a whole heap of new possibilities. Stop flaming MS unless they do something that is truly wrong or anti-competitive. What they do with their OS's is up to them in the end, but don't flame them for trying to advance them. Getting rid of DOS is a GOOD thing, not an anti-competitive thing.
So, my question is this, if you feel so strongly against American laws, then why do you continue to use American companies on the Internet?
I feel strongly against the American laws? When did I say that? Personally I couldn't give a stuff about American laws and politics. It doesn't affect me unless the US congress decides to drop a bomb on my home, and the chances of that are as slim as Microsofts chances of getting out of their anti-trust case unscathed in any way.
My point is that regardless of how we all feel (and I do support Napster) the law remains unchanged and as such, those of us that use services like Napster and Gnutella and Scour Exchange and all the others, are breaking the law as it is now.
Contrary to how you appear to perceive me, I do agree that the RIAA is going about things the wrong way, however I am not so deluded to think that just because a law is outdated it is okay to break it. The RIAA is well within their rights to sue Napster, the MPAA is well within their rights to sue scour.net. Whether or not them doing so is perceived as good or bad is up to the individual.
But is it legal for a company to help you trade music? It is a gray area.
Okay, is it legal to willingly drive a get-away car for a bank robber? My point is that aiding and abetting any crime, regardless of the social perception of that crime, is illegal.
As for what country I'm in, this one, that one, any one. It makes no difference. I am just glad I'm not in the USA. I'm sure its a nice place once you're used to it, but I wouldn't want to live there myself. Hasn't really impressed me in the past, recent events (online and offline) impress me even less.
So write senator Hatch and tell him that he is the man!
Why would I do that? I do not even live within the US or any of the nations it stands over.
The law is outdated, ambiguous, and it is restricting the entire digital entertainment industry.
Regardless of how outdated, ambiguous or restrictive a law is, its still the law. Just because we don't agree with it does not mean that we are not legally obliged to abide by it until we can get it changed. Breaking the law until the policy is changed is still breaking the law, regardless of the intent of that person(s).
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm growing tired of people bickering over who is right and who is wrong.
Napster has provided a service to all that is convenient, easy to use, fast and comprehensive. Through the Napster servers you can search for any song you like and more often than not, you'll find what you're looking for.
This is great, but its wrong. Copyright laws are in place for a reason. They are there to protect the artist and his rights to retain ownership of what he creates. In this case, music. The RIAA is there to protect those rights of the artist. Napsters very essense is against those rights, and breaches the copyright laws that have been in place for many many years.
People complain that the RIAA is only interested and cares about the lining of their pockets being coated with dollar bills, and to an extent I agree. Many artists and the RIAA are continually charging people far to much and most of us are at breaking point. We like the music, we support the music, but many just cannot afford to buy it.
However that does not excuse the fact that by sharing your files on, and downloading files from Napster you are breaking the LAW. The law that has existed to protect artists for many years now but that with the digital revolution, appears to have been thrown out the window.
So what if its easy to do? So what if there is no way to stop it? Regardless of how people feel about it, its still illegal.
How does this tie in with Napster? Quite simple. They are aiding and abetting the practice of copyright infringement and THAT is illegal in pretty much any western country of the world. Napster are in the wrong.
Now, before you think I'm totally anti-napster and pro RIAA, let me rip into the RIAA's methods and madness.
No matter whether Napster is doing something it shouldn't or not, the RIAA needs to understand that instead of trying to squash Napster and destroy it, they would probably achieve a lot more by partnering with it. Trading MP3's online is no different to recording a bunch of songs from the radio or TV hows/movies from the TV and letting your friends have copies of those recordings. Its illegal, its wrong, but its common practice and something that most people I know do or have done.
The RIAA needs to understand that they cannot shut down MP3 trading (Just as the MPAA cannot stop DivX or VCD trading by closing down Scour Exchange). In effect, what they're actually doing is promoting the traders hobby, bringing more people to the ranks and pushing all the traders deeper underground. I have been using Gnutella for a while now, and the court telling Napster to shut down its servers created such a huge surge in the number or people connected to the network, it flooded me right off.
The existance of digital versions of music, movies, TV shows, graphical images and the like are here to stay. Anyone with half a clue can see that. What needs to be done, and what several companies are working on doing, is create a digital medium that can protect copyright while at the same time being as easy to use as an MPEG file (both video and audio types). The best idea I've heard of so far is watermarking the medium in a way that would destroy the file if it were removed.
The biggest problem with these initiatives is that the online community sees everything on the internet as free for all. If its available in a digital form then the online community assumes that the author or the copyright holder has given up its legal rights to it and anyone can have it. So what do we as a community need to do? We need to help and promote services that will allow us to continue to enjoy the benefits we have now, while at the same time not stepping outside the bounds of real world legalities. The Cyber Universe exists inside and is very heavily dependant upon the Real Universe for its existance. That means that it too falls within the bounds of real world legalities.
We NEED to learn that just because its in binary does not mean that its any different to its analogue counterparts. The medium is different, the content is the same. We need to learn that we cannot break the law simply because we are in the cyber universe where national boundaries do not exist. By breaking the laws of the real world, we are giving governments and companies reason and right to start enforcing censorship and all that goes with it.
The RIAA is legally right, but their methods are wrong. Napster itself is a great service, but its methods are illegal and wrong. There IS a happy gray zone in there, but so far, everyone has done their best to avoid it, simply because it would mean conforming in the Cyber Universe to a rule/law that exists in the Real Universe. Come one people, pull your heads in. We don't cease to be humans simply because we log on to an ISP and sit in front of a computer.
PS. Don't get me wrong. I'm just as annoyed at the RIAA for trying to do this as most others are. I admit to being a trader (ironic eh?). The difference is that I acknowledge and understand that by letting others copy my files and by copying others files, I break the law. What a lot of people don't seem to grasp is that this is wrong. Too many people see it as their right to download anything, regardless of the laws involved.
In New Zealand we have a little piece of paper known as the Privacy Act. This little bill makes it illegal for anyone to obtain, use, distribute or whatever, anything about me unless they have MY direct permission to do so. In all the discussion I have read on Slashdot, no one seems to have taken this into consideration.
Effectively what this means is that the police cannot read my emails unless I give them permission to do so, or they obtain them from the intended recipient with their permission. It is just the same as the police being unable to give out my name, address, phone number and criminal record details unless they have a court order or my permission.
So how does this play into effect as far as I'm concerned?
Simple. Primarily, for the government and the police to pull this off, they'd have to amend the already existing and established Privacy Act before they could even pass this new bill before the house. Secondly, we live in a democratic country. If we can get enough people to back it and sign a petition, a referendum can be forced which would request that all those eligable to vote do so on this particular topic. The downside is that this requires that there be those willing to stand up, make a stand and prepare a petition. There also needs to be awareness of this petition for people to sign it.
The first thing us NZ'ers need to do is write to our local MP (Member of Parliament) and express our concern and state exactly what our views on this issue are. Tell them exactly why we think this is a bad idea and why we consider it a breach of our privacy. In New Zealand, if you contact any MP or Minister, they are legally required to reply in some form or another.
As a service to all out there, here is the website to go to to find the email address of not only the Prime Minister herself, but also of the MPs and Ministers.
http://www.parliament.govt.nz/mp s-and-ministers.htmlSo what about this argument of using encryption? I don't encrypt mail when I send it snail mail. I don't encrypt my cheques when I pay bills. I don't encrypt my postcards home when I'm overseas. I don't have to decrypt my newspaper when I read it in the morning. Would someone tell me why I should have to encrypt email? It is my right to send email in the manner I so choose. I know there are elements on the internet that are "shady", but I calculate that risk into the content of the email every time I press the send button. I don't see why a government should force me to use encryption simply because a few bad eggs on the net have gotten smart enough to use a computer instead of the phone.
The most amusing part to all this is that the last time there was any terrorist activity in New Zealand was when a few Frenchmen bombed the Greenpeace boat "Rainbow Warrior" in Auckland harbour. (What is it about the French and blowing things up? Rainbow Warrior, Muaroa Atol and the nuclear testing, and more recently a Concorde full of Germans.) With the lack of terrorist activity in NZ, and crimes being mostly theft and road issues, why does the police even need to snoop emails? Bank robbers in NZ just go into a bank with a gun and a stocking and demand money over the counter.
If anyone in NZ wants to get a petition going (I've already started one in my area of Auckland) look at my user info page, remove the "nospam" from my email address and get in touch with me.
hehehe :) Amusing and funny. One down side to the 2025 Police files, spelling goes way out the window. ;)
Any tips on who wins the next few superbowls while you're visiting us? ;)
This article on CNN states that the shutdown is to occur at 3am EDT on Saturday Morning.
This is most outstanding. With all the reports of Napster actually promoting and improving music sales, this kind of injuction is like a slap in the face of the whole community. I wonder if they realise that they're likely to get a whole bunch of people popping up with their own versions. There are a lot of alternative clients out there for Napster, it won't be hard for someone to engineer an alternate server application.
Suddenly Gnutella (and its clones) looks like it could see a huge rise in popularity. You can't get banned from it, can't be easily traced with it, and you can share everything, not just MP3's. RIAA is going to have a lot more to tackle than just MP3 sharing. Movies, warez, music and anything else you can think of are going to be so much easier to get hold of now.
RIAA needs to stop and listen to what the people are saying instead of forever looking into their wallets. We do buy the legitimate stuff, but we like to know what it is we're getting before we shell out those hard earned dollars.
1) For those of you in New Zealand that seek a free ISP that is Linux (or any other OS) friendly, i4free is very excellent. I have now been using them since they pretty much started and am very happy with their service. The fact that they are working on WAP and other advanced services makes them even more desirable. I know of no other free service provider in New Zealand doing what they're doing.
2) I don't know if anyone else has ever thought of this, but I was reading some information from the July feature article of Scientific American and thought to myself, "What if we are the most developed, most advanced civilisation in existance?". Think about it. What if we, mere humans of planet Earth, are the most technologically and socially advanced living creature in the universe? Our broadcasts and attempts to reach other life may not be failing because there's nothing out there, but more so because maybe no one else has the ability to broadcast using light, sound or radio let alone receive the broadcasts. This is the complete inverse to what we've always assumed. So far we've assumed that life out there is at a similar or more advanced technological level to ourselves, but maybe we're the more advanced.
Nothing outstandingly mind numbing, but it is a possibility and something to think about on those long boring nights trying to get a program finished or server back online.