Well said. I'm using Ubuntu on my main machine and OS X on my laptop, and I'm very happy with the results. I've never before felt so productive, particularly since if I something catastrophic happens on my VM (which I run Windows on to support one program I cannot live without), I can just restore a backup and everything's back up and running again as if nothing ever happened (takes only a few seconds).
What about those who, once told to right click something, are forever asking you whether you want them to use the left or right buttons afterwords? Or worse those who can't even comprehend what right click even means?
Last year I built a new system for me and after thinking about all the things Linux can't do that Windows can I.. oh wait a second.... Linux DOES everything I need just as well if not better:-)
Agreed. And for the one application I have that doesn't have a decent Linux equivalent (WordPerfect; OpenOffice is still much too Word-like), I use Windows in an isolated VM (no network access). The only thing I'd like to see is a decent Kitchen Timer (so when I'm actually cooking, which I avoid as often as possible, I can continue working in my bedroom rather than watching the pot).
The registry is the biggest problem with Windows, it is horribly inefficient. Why Microsoft hasn't replaced* it with some more capable database engine by now I have no idea.
Because that would, plain and simply, make sense, and when was the last time Microsoft did anything that truly made sense in the long run?
Which is why I prefer to use QuattroPro, which performs recalculations on the fly; the first time I noticed it was doing this (version 7), I was ticked because the screen would suddenly redraw while I was working, but then I realized what it was doing and why (this was in the late nineties using a 14MB spreadsheet). The regular refreshes were still annoying, but I was no longer as peeved once I understood the benefit. I still wonder why other office suites haven't adopted such time saving features as this and other things the WordPerfect suite offers, like reveal codes or the property bar.
Considering the lack of a response, I think Reality Master 101 may not have an answer. Perhaps the personality change caused by brain damage is the result of the soul becoming less able to command the body. I, personally, believe this theory may very possibly be truth.
Darwin himself was quite religious, too. From what little I've read, it seems he never gave up on the existence of a god, though his views on religion changed radically. The fact of the matter is, there is little reason science and religion have to be at loggerheads with each other; each seeks truth in a different way.
I only wonder how many people understand the Edsel reference.
Several years ago, I can't remember the year, my family and I watched "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" for the first time (many, many years after the film was released in theaters). Early into the film, Don Knotts character states something to the effect of "I was driving my Edsel", and my parents burst out laughing. My brothers, sisters, and I were completely confused, and I think we may have needed to stop the video so they could explain the joke; I was born in 1973, and until that time (probably early nineties, considering the series of events that lead to us getting hold of the movie), I had absolutely no clue what an Edsel was.
Of course, it is possible that my lack of information on that particular subject was not the norm, even then, though I do come across people who don't know what an Edsel is. Anyway, thanks for the laugh.
Agreed. That's why my parents, two brothers and I have never subscribed to a cable service. Then again, our collective weekly television viewing (meaning over the air, not videos) comes to about fifty hours total (an average of about one and a quarter hours per day); cable just isn't worth it. And I wouldn't be watching more if I had more channels; I'd rather support programs I like via DVD.
I think you are right that the registry was a poor means of implementing a software performance and clutter improvement, but I'm not sure Microsoft hasn't since used the existence of the registry to further their lock-in.
I was amazed in 2001 when, while speaking with other techs, that people actually believed you couldn't run a graphic based Operating System without a registry. I've heard the same thing repeatedly over the years from other techs who continue to believe this myth. If today's techs-in-training are still being brainwashed with this tripe, I believe we have a great deal to worry about.
I know this response is way too late to even get noticed, but the answer to your question is, "Because that would be efficient and it would make sense." That line was originally used in an episode of M*A*S*H, asking why the 4077 didn't have an incubator; the statement was made in reference to stupid decisions made by the US Army, but I think you would agree, it can be easily applied to many other things, like the US Government, Microsoft, and many other large companies.
Very well stated; of course, there were also the speed issues Motorola and IBM couldn't (or wouldn't) deliver, either. While I won't disagree that Apple is better off in their current relationship with Intel, the x86 architecture is still crap, in my opinion, which is bolstered by technical facts I'd prefer not to get into. I'll admit that my opinion of the PowerPC architecture is not all rosy, either; I can see plenty of places where the PowerPC could be improved for consumer use.
Another tool Win98 had that was replaced in ME and XP with "System Restore" was SFC (System File Check); it could check the information, or lack thereof, on the system files on the computer and replace those that had been hosed by other applications or horked with the original files. None of the "System Restore" features provided since are as selective. About my only complaint with SFC was that it wasn't as unobtrusive as it could have been.
I thought you might like to know what originally drove me away from Windows (in 2007).
I was using XP, and before I discovered VLC, I got hold of a Divx file I wanted to see, and attempted to install a Divx player; it forced me to add all sorts of crapware to my system, and I'm pretty sure NewDotNet was in that pile of feces (I never installed anything that I can think of that might have allowed NewDotNet onto my system after that). Never did manage to get rid of it completely, and it ultimately hosed my network stack. Windows could connect to my home network or dial out, but I couldn't ping, and while Windows diagnostic found a problem, it only reported what I already knew and never did figure out what needed to be fixed.
I had just been introduced to Ubuntu at about that time, and decided after a few weeks of being unable to access my network to switch. I'm satisfied, and can't imagine any reason at all why I'll ever go back. It's been nearly two years now, and I'm feeling more productive than ever.
I know well what The Ritual is like. Thanks for the anecdote.
Don't feel too bad. Considering you wrote the post he responded to, you might have felt compelled to respond. At least take comfort in the fact that you did not counter his hostility with anger, but cool facts. (I'm LDS, too, though I have no interest at all in any of the GTA games; I'm primarily a Metroid and Zelda fan).
I remember when Vista RC1 came out, I read on some page or other, which I referenced from here (on/.), if I remember correctly, that the Vista development teams expected additional bugs in the RC version. This reminds me of the jokes that are so often spread around that list Microsoft's release process as follows:
Beta x: Alpha x testing RCy: Beta y testing RTM: Beta y+1 testing SPz: RCz or sometimes Beta y+2+z (I'm not sure there's ever a true RTM with Windows)
This is paraphrased, and possibly mildly different than what I originally saw; I can't remember who to attribute this to, but it does catch the gist of what I recall (the part in parenthesis is my invention, I think).
About disappearing printer and network drivers, I've indirectly witnessed this several times. I work as a dial-up ISP tech support agent, and I've dealt with many customers using Vista who have called in to report that the shortcuts to their connections are giving them messages like "This resource cannot be found" and the connection isn't visible in Network Connections. Attempting to recreate the original connection acts like there is no connection to be found, until you attempt to give it the same name as the connection that vanished (which the computer claims still exists). This, in addition to a number of other issues I have with Vista (such as the useless error messages, or diagnostics that ignore the given error message), makes me confident that having abandoned Windows (except in a virtual environment to support the one Windows application I use) was the right decision.
As I said, it's not my time that's the issue; my connections been so reliable this week that it's taking me five minutes to read a single three line comment. Thanks for the effort, though.
That was a well structured response. I didn't bother looking at your references because, unfortunately, my connection right now is worse than dial-up, but I've researched this matter in the past, mostly out of mild curiosity, and I've read parts of reliable studies that find the globe has actually been cooling over the past few years. I'm only marginally interested in climatology, so I generally skim over most of the reports I read on the subject, but I have seen evidence to assert the truth of what you have to say.
I would also like to further support your stance by pointing out that a) carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, b) science by consensus is not science at all, but politics, and c) many true scientists of every age have been mocked and persecuted by their peers, but have always been vindicated. For example, Galileo was placed under house arrest for revealing that the earth was not the center of the universe, yet had he not had the courage to speak the truth about this matter, we wouldn't have modern astronomy. In the same light, many climatologists today are being threatened for revealing the truth about global warming; they, too, will be vindicated sometime in the future. I only hope that when they are, it's not too late for the rest of us.
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Well said. I'm using Ubuntu on my main machine and OS X on my laptop, and I'm very happy with the results. I've never before felt so productive, particularly since if I something catastrophic happens on my VM (which I run Windows on to support one program I cannot live without), I can just restore a backup and everything's back up and running again as if nothing ever happened (takes only a few seconds).
What about those who, once told to right click something, are forever asking you whether you want them to use the left or right buttons afterwords? Or worse those who can't even comprehend what right click even means?
Agreed. And for the one application I have that doesn't have a decent Linux equivalent (WordPerfect; OpenOffice is still much too Word-like), I use Windows in an isolated VM (no network access). The only thing I'd like to see is a decent Kitchen Timer (so when I'm actually cooking, which I avoid as often as possible, I can continue working in my bedroom rather than watching the pot).
Because that would, plain and simply, make sense, and when was the last time Microsoft did anything that truly made sense in the long run?
Which is why I prefer to use QuattroPro, which performs recalculations on the fly; the first time I noticed it was doing this (version 7), I was ticked because the screen would suddenly redraw while I was working, but then I realized what it was doing and why (this was in the late nineties using a 14MB spreadsheet). The regular refreshes were still annoying, but I was no longer as peeved once I understood the benefit. I still wonder why other office suites haven't adopted such time saving features as this and other things the WordPerfect suite offers, like reveal codes or the property bar.
Considering the lack of a response, I think Reality Master 101 may not have an answer. Perhaps the personality change caused by brain damage is the result of the soul becoming less able to command the body. I, personally, believe this theory may very possibly be truth.
Darwin himself was quite religious, too. From what little I've read, it seems he never gave up on the existence of a god, though his views on religion changed radically. The fact of the matter is, there is little reason science and religion have to be at loggerheads with each other; each seeks truth in a different way.
Best plan I've heard all day. Thanks for the laugh.
I only wonder how many people understand the Edsel reference.
Several years ago, I can't remember the year, my family and I watched "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" for the first time (many, many years after the film was released in theaters). Early into the film, Don Knotts character states something to the effect of "I was driving my Edsel", and my parents burst out laughing. My brothers, sisters, and I were completely confused, and I think we may have needed to stop the video so they could explain the joke; I was born in 1973, and until that time (probably early nineties, considering the series of events that lead to us getting hold of the movie), I had absolutely no clue what an Edsel was.
Of course, it is possible that my lack of information on that particular subject was not the norm, even then, though I do come across people who don't know what an Edsel is. Anyway, thanks for the laugh.
Agreed. That's why my parents, two brothers and I have never subscribed to a cable service. Then again, our collective weekly television viewing (meaning over the air, not videos) comes to about fifty hours total (an average of about one and a quarter hours per day); cable just isn't worth it. And I wouldn't be watching more if I had more channels; I'd rather support programs I like via DVD.
I agree. The president of a company is like the captain of a ship; the cons of the job apply just as the pros do.
I think you are right that the registry was a poor means of implementing a software performance and clutter improvement, but I'm not sure Microsoft hasn't since used the existence of the registry to further their lock-in.
I was amazed in 2001 when, while speaking with other techs, that people actually believed you couldn't run a graphic based Operating System without a registry. I've heard the same thing repeatedly over the years from other techs who continue to believe this myth. If today's techs-in-training are still being brainwashed with this tripe, I believe we have a great deal to worry about.
I know this response is way too late to even get noticed, but the answer to your question is, "Because that would be efficient and it would make sense." That line was originally used in an episode of M*A*S*H, asking why the 4077 didn't have an incubator; the statement was made in reference to stupid decisions made by the US Army, but I think you would agree, it can be easily applied to many other things, like the US Government, Microsoft, and many other large companies.
Very well stated; of course, there were also the speed issues Motorola and IBM couldn't (or wouldn't) deliver, either. While I won't disagree that Apple is better off in their current relationship with Intel, the x86 architecture is still crap, in my opinion, which is bolstered by technical facts I'd prefer not to get into. I'll admit that my opinion of the PowerPC architecture is not all rosy, either; I can see plenty of places where the PowerPC could be improved for consumer use.
Another tool Win98 had that was replaced in ME and XP with "System Restore" was SFC (System File Check); it could check the information, or lack thereof, on the system files on the computer and replace those that had been hosed by other applications or horked with the original files. None of the "System Restore" features provided since are as selective. About my only complaint with SFC was that it wasn't as unobtrusive as it could have been.
I thought you might like to know what originally drove me away from Windows (in 2007).
I was using XP, and before I discovered VLC, I got hold of a Divx file I wanted to see, and attempted to install a Divx player; it forced me to add all sorts of crapware to my system, and I'm pretty sure NewDotNet was in that pile of feces (I never installed anything that I can think of that might have allowed NewDotNet onto my system after that). Never did manage to get rid of it completely, and it ultimately hosed my network stack. Windows could connect to my home network or dial out, but I couldn't ping, and while Windows diagnostic found a problem, it only reported what I already knew and never did figure out what needed to be fixed.
I had just been introduced to Ubuntu at about that time, and decided after a few weeks of being unable to access my network to switch. I'm satisfied, and can't imagine any reason at all why I'll ever go back. It's been nearly two years now, and I'm feeling more productive than ever.
I know well what The Ritual is like. Thanks for the anecdote.
Don't feel too bad. Considering you wrote the post he responded to, you might have felt compelled to respond. At least take comfort in the fact that you did not counter his hostility with anger, but cool facts. (I'm LDS, too, though I have no interest at all in any of the GTA games; I'm primarily a Metroid and Zelda fan).
I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but I'd say his username describes him perfectly.
I agree wholeheartedly.
I remember when Vista RC1 came out, I read on some page or other, which I referenced from here (on /.), if I remember correctly, that the Vista development teams expected additional bugs in the RC version. This reminds me of the jokes that are so often spread around that list Microsoft's release process as follows:
Beta x: Alpha x testing
RCy: Beta y testing
RTM: Beta y+1 testing
SPz: RCz or sometimes Beta y+2+z (I'm not sure there's ever a true RTM with Windows)
This is paraphrased, and possibly mildly different than what I originally saw; I can't remember who to attribute this to, but it does catch the gist of what I recall (the part in parenthesis is my invention, I think).
About disappearing printer and network drivers, I've indirectly witnessed this several times. I work as a dial-up ISP tech support agent, and I've dealt with many customers using Vista who have called in to report that the shortcuts to their connections are giving them messages like "This resource cannot be found" and the connection isn't visible in Network Connections. Attempting to recreate the original connection acts like there is no connection to be found, until you attempt to give it the same name as the connection that vanished (which the computer claims still exists). This, in addition to a number of other issues I have with Vista (such as the useless error messages, or diagnostics that ignore the given error message), makes me confident that having abandoned Windows (except in a virtual environment to support the one Windows application I use) was the right decision.
Got my connection speed working again. I'll be looking into these papers as often as I am able. Thanks for the links.
Thanks.
As I said, it's not my time that's the issue; my connections been so reliable this week that it's taking me five minutes to read a single three line comment. Thanks for the effort, though.
That was a well structured response. I didn't bother looking at your references because, unfortunately, my connection right now is worse than dial-up, but I've researched this matter in the past, mostly out of mild curiosity, and I've read parts of reliable studies that find the globe has actually been cooling over the past few years. I'm only marginally interested in climatology, so I generally skim over most of the reports I read on the subject, but I have seen evidence to assert the truth of what you have to say.
I would also like to further support your stance by pointing out that a) carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, b) science by consensus is not science at all, but politics, and c) many true scientists of every age have been mocked and persecuted by their peers, but have always been vindicated. For example, Galileo was placed under house arrest for revealing that the earth was not the center of the universe, yet had he not had the courage to speak the truth about this matter, we wouldn't have modern astronomy. In the same light, many climatologists today are being threatened for revealing the truth about global warming; they, too, will be vindicated sometime in the future. I only hope that when they are, it's not too late for the rest of us.