I kinda miss Windows NT. It's really snappy on today's hardware. I think it's going to be a long time before Vista feels snappy on current hardware. It's not just a ram issue. Let's say you have 4 gigs of ram. Todays's system bus and Hard Drives can't make Vista feel as snappy as Windows NT or an optimised Linux install. I use Windows XP on my laptop and it has 4 gigs of ram (it only sees 3 gig of it). When I use about 1.5 gigs, windows gets to a point where it won't open any more windows. So, what's the use of having 3 or 4 gigs or ram when I can't use it ?
Didn't NASA already build one of these ???... Like 40 years ago ? The whole wasteful bureaucracy needs to be revamped. We are getting our but kicked by other countries who are building the equipment to go to the moon, ect. And we were the first ones there !! This is shameful.
When I was a teenager, my family was in a illegal business. Not having responsible adults around me, I ended up in this illegal business, dropped out of high school in the 9th grade, and landed in Federal Prison 1 week after my 21st birthday. I spent the next 5 years there. While I was there, I decided to use that time to change my life. So, I applied for the Pell Grant, but the republicans changed the law in 1994 so that prisoners can't get the Pell Grant. I did not let that stop me. I did have the inter-library loan system. So, I could get almost any book I wanted. I got textbooks, and started on page one, and taught myself Algebra, Calculus and Statistics. My "secret" is that I took notes, page by page, as I went. The act of taking notes increases your retention dramatically. It's like "writing into your brain". Also, I had friend named Renee Texadore, who was a Mathematics professor in Cuba. He had been in Federal Prison since the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980. He could not obtain citizenship, and Cuba would not take them back. They are still in Federal Prison indefinately. Anyway, he kept challenging me and pushing me. Between taking notes and Mr. Texadore, I became good at Mathematics. But Mathematics is like working out for your brain. There is no substitution for working Mathematics problems out. The more you do, the easier it is. At first, it seems like your getting nowhere, just like working out, but over several months and years, you'll be surprised. The most valuable skill I learned while on "vacation" was HOW to learn something. I use this method still today. I can go through a 500 page technical book on programming languages in about 25 hours. I can learn new material at the rate of 20 pages per hour. I hope this story will help you and reverse some of my bad karma:) Good luck.
Who the heck needs EMBEDDED 64 bit ? When I think embedded, I think p133 on a small board computer. What the heck am I missing ? So, let's get this straight: for embedded, I can now build a POS with 128 gigs of ram and 64 processors. Nice processor.. that's what you would expect from MIT. You or I won't see anything like this for 5 years.
It's already there. As long as it's popular on servers, it's going to have drivers for mainstream hardware. Even most video cards are supported thanks to nvidia and some high end people in Hollywood using it to make movies. Joe six pack needs it to run Office,Quickbooks,maybe some games, and all the spyware that the little six packs download from the "innernet". Thankfully, linux does not run spyware and most viruses yet, but if you really need them and miss them, you can use crossover office to run them. If someone could develop a distro that would install almost on it's own, complete with crossover office and quickbooks installed.... it might happen, but there again, it's been like this for 10 years. When Linux gets some functionality everyone shouts "Hey ! X app is almost as good as it's Windows equivalent ! And it's free !!" Sorry, but that just ain't gonna bring Linux to Joe Six Pack. What Linux really needs is some cool app or functionality that ONLY runs on Linux and you can't get on Windows... at least for about 6 months so that Linux could reach a critical mass on the desktop and people realize what a pleasure it is to use a computer and not have to worry about viruses, spyware, ect. I guess in that respect, Linux already has functionality that Windows does not have. It's give's the computer techies an environment without spyware and viruses.... but that's about the only people who can use it on the desktop right now. With Vista out though... things could get interesting over the next few years. Vista really does suck when it comes to being a memory hog and program compatibility. Now, with Windows, your actually paying money for an inferior product.
I enjoy using linux on my desktop. I don't really care if everyone else is using it. Linux has always been that way. I don't think there will ever be a day when joe six pack is using linux on his desktop. Does it really matter ? Joe six pack will spend $50 going out to eat...... 200 is not really a lot of money. For all the apps that joe six pack wants to run, windows is a bargain. For me, I enjoy figuring out how to run my stuff on linux. Linux rocks on the server. So, let it stay that way and only geeks use it on the desktop.
I've been reading slashdot since 1999. It seems that this used to be the place to get good tech articles, but it seems that the quality has degraded over the years. The -1 really is not nice. It's just my opinion, don't take it personal.
Good post... AMEN ! I have enjoyied the fruits of OS for many years, but it seems like most of the people on slashdot have a silly religious fever about OS. I have thought about open sourcing my apps for a long time, but can't quite bring myself to do it because I have to feed my family. I'd like to think that if I give, people give back... but I'm not convinced that's the case. I'm so tired of reading stuff on slashdot where anyone who does anything but give high quality enterprise grade software away for free to a bunch of people who don't give back is accused of being evil
How about let's recycle existing laptops and distribute those to people who need it. I've got a laptop (m300) that I bought at the Enron Auction that's worth about 100.00 on ebay, and it would make a real nice linux laptop. What we need is maybe some kind of organized effort to recycle existing machines and distribute those to people who need them. We throw away enough machines to supply a small school... I do anyway... anyone onboard ?
I love firefox, but running it on Linux lately has been a pain. It keeps crashing. So much so that I've considered using opera or something else. What's going on with Firefox lately ? Can't you guys just keep it small and simple and stable ? I don't want every feature except the kitchen sink. I just want it to work.
This Dell / Ubuntu stuff is getting old and annoying. I don't give a crap if Dell sells laptops with Ubuntu. Anyone who NEEDS Dell to sell a laptop with Ubuntu on it and support that laptop is someone who should stay with Windows. For me, part of the fun of Linux is installing it myself and making it work how I want it to work. I've been using Linux since 1996 and I still have not installed Ubuntu, because I can't bring myself to install something called "Ubuntu" . It might be the best distro... I don't know.. but the name kills it for me. One more thing: Why do people complain about having to pay an extra 50 for MS windows ? To me, that seems a bit irrational, because those same people who bitch and complain and REFUSE to buy the laptop if they have to pay an extra 50 are the same people who will spend 300 on a video card or games. If I want a new laptop, 50 is not going to sway my buying decision either way, because there are more important things, like the fact that I'm going to be using it a lot and I need it to be dependable. OK... I'm finished ranting now.
I know this thread has nothing to do with prisoners and suicide, but I could not resist responding to that comment. I actually saw several people commit suicide while I was in there, and guards who moved slow as syrup when a guy had a heart attack and I thanking god that I did not have any health problems.
I did 5 years Fed time in Texarkana TX and I can tell you that it ain't no picnic. The problem with American justice is that rapist, murders and child molesters get very little time.. except murder.. we've got life or good old capital punishment for that... and someone getting busted with 100 pounds of pot get's 10 years. There was one guy that I remember that mailed 10 hits of acid in the mail which made it a federal crime and he got a mandatory minimum 10 years. I'm convinced that really there is only the caught and uncaught. Most of the people in there were pretty good people.... ok maybe that's questionable.... but really.. can you say that you've never done anything that you could go to prison for ? And your OK with being treated like a lab rat while your in there ? Oh yeah..I wish I could have gotten out in 2 months with good behavior... that's a fantasy. There has been no parole since 1987. You get 52 days per year off for good behavior. That's all you get. They want to make sure they keep you around to do experiments with:)
That's an interesting accusation Mr. Tin Foil Hat. If there were a backdoor, there is no escaping detection when it's sitting behind a firewall that's logging everything. I'd love to be corrected on this though. Please show me some proof of a backdoor in Lenovo PC's.
Have you considered Lenovo ? It still has IBM stamped all over it and when you call ( If you ever have to ) for a warranty issue, you get to speak with "Tom in Atlanta" vs being on hold for 45 minutes with Dell and transfered to "Hamish in India" ( Nothing against Indian people, but I actually called the Dell warranty number and spoke with someone who could not understand me even after I spelled my company name. ) I've been tremendously happy with Lenovo and they support Linux all the way. Their prices are very competitive. On the high end, this X60 tablet I have is the best laptop I've ever had, it rocks ! If your looking for a straight business PC, I think something in the 600-800 range can be done. Over the years, I've bought hundreds of Dell PC's and hardly ever had a warranty issue, but if I had it to do over again, I would have gone with IBM/Lenovo, especially on laptops. Good luck !
Slashdot Mirror
I kinda miss Windows NT. It's really snappy on today's hardware. I think it's going to be a long time before Vista feels snappy on current hardware. It's not just a ram issue. Let's say you have 4 gigs of ram. Todays's system bus and Hard Drives can't make Vista feel as snappy as Windows NT or an optimised Linux install. I use Windows XP on my laptop and it has 4 gigs of ram (it only sees 3 gig of it). When I use about 1.5 gigs, windows gets to a point where it won't open any more windows. So, what's the use of having 3 or 4 gigs or ram when I can't use it ?
Didn't NASA already build one of these ??? ... Like 40 years ago ? The whole wasteful bureaucracy needs to be revamped. We are getting our but kicked by other countries who are building the equipment to go to the moon, ect. And we were the first ones there !! This is shameful.
To be fully functional, does it also generate the odor ?
When I was a teenager, my family was in a illegal business. Not having responsible adults around me, I ended up in this illegal business, dropped out of high school in the 9th grade, and landed in Federal Prison 1 week after my 21st birthday. I spent the next 5 years there. While I was there, I decided to use that time to change my life. So, I applied for the Pell Grant, but the republicans changed the law in 1994 so that prisoners can't get the Pell Grant. I did not let that stop me. I did have the inter-library loan system. So, I could get almost any book I wanted. I got textbooks, and started on page one, and taught myself Algebra, Calculus and Statistics. My "secret" is that I took notes, page by page, as I went. The act of taking notes increases your retention dramatically. It's like "writing into your brain". Also, I had friend named Renee Texadore, who was a Mathematics professor in Cuba. He had been in Federal Prison since the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980. He could not obtain citizenship, and Cuba would not take them back. They are still in Federal Prison indefinately. Anyway, he kept challenging me and pushing me. Between taking notes and Mr. Texadore, I became good at Mathematics. But Mathematics is like working out for your brain. There is no substitution for working Mathematics problems out. The more you do, the easier it is. At first, it seems like your getting nowhere, just like working out, but over several months and years, you'll be surprised. The most valuable skill I learned while on "vacation" was HOW to learn something. I use this method still today. I can go through a 500 page technical book on programming languages in about 25 hours. I can learn new material at the rate of 20 pages per hour. I hope this story will help you and reverse some of my bad karma :) Good luck.
The article is mildly interesting, but I'm so wasting my time reading the mindless comments here.
Who the heck needs EMBEDDED 64 bit ? When I think embedded, I think p133 on a small board computer. What the heck am I missing ? So, let's get this straight: for embedded, I can now build a POS with 128 gigs of ram and 64 processors. Nice processor.. that's what you would expect from MIT. You or I won't see anything like this for 5 years.
It's already there. As long as it's popular on servers, it's going to have drivers for mainstream hardware. Even most video cards are supported thanks to nvidia and some high end people in Hollywood using it to make movies. Joe six pack needs it to run Office,Quickbooks,maybe some games, and all the spyware that the little six packs download from the "innernet". Thankfully, linux does not run spyware and most viruses yet, but if you really need them and miss them, you can use crossover office to run them. If someone could develop a distro that would install almost on it's own, complete with crossover office and quickbooks installed.... it might happen, but there again, it's been like this for 10 years. When Linux gets some functionality everyone shouts "Hey ! X app is almost as good as it's Windows equivalent ! And it's free !!" Sorry, but that just ain't gonna bring Linux to Joe Six Pack. What Linux really needs is some cool app or functionality that ONLY runs on Linux and you can't get on Windows... at least for about 6 months so that Linux could reach a critical mass on the desktop and people realize what a pleasure it is to use a computer and not have to worry about viruses, spyware, ect. I guess in that respect, Linux already has functionality that Windows does not have. It's give's the computer techies an environment without spyware and viruses.... but that's about the only people who can use it on the desktop right now. With Vista out though... things could get interesting over the next few years. Vista really does suck when it comes to being a memory hog and program compatibility. Now, with Windows, your actually paying money for an inferior product.
I enjoy using linux on my desktop. I don't really care if everyone else is using it. Linux has always been that way. I don't think there will ever be a day when joe six pack is using linux on his desktop. Does it really matter ? Joe six pack will spend $50 going out to eat...... 200 is not really a lot of money. For all the apps that joe six pack wants to run, windows is a bargain. For me, I enjoy figuring out how to run my stuff on linux. Linux rocks on the server. So, let it stay that way and only geeks use it on the desktop.
I've been reading slashdot since 1999. It seems that this used to be the place to get good tech articles, but it seems that the quality has degraded over the years. The -1 really is not nice. It's just my opinion, don't take it personal.
Another boring BS article on slashdot. What's new ?
Good post... AMEN ! I have enjoyied the fruits of OS for many years, but it seems like most of the people on slashdot have a silly religious fever about OS. I have thought about open sourcing my apps for a long time, but can't quite bring myself to do it because I have to feed my family. I'd like to think that if I give, people give back... but I'm not convinced that's the case. I'm so tired of reading stuff on slashdot where anyone who does anything but give high quality enterprise grade software away for free to a bunch of people who don't give back is accused of being evil
How about let's recycle existing laptops and distribute those to people who need it. I've got a laptop (m300) that I bought at the Enron Auction that's worth about 100.00 on ebay, and it would make a real nice linux laptop. What we need is maybe some kind of organized effort to recycle existing machines and distribute those to people who need them. We throw away enough machines to supply a small school... I do anyway... anyone onboard ?
Computers were much more fun when you actually had to know something about computers to use them.
I love firefox, but running it on Linux lately has been a pain. It keeps crashing. So much so that I've considered using opera or something else. What's going on with Firefox lately ? Can't you guys just keep it small and simple and stable ? I don't want every feature except the kitchen sink. I just want it to work.
This Dell / Ubuntu stuff is getting old and annoying. I don't give a crap if Dell sells laptops with Ubuntu. Anyone who NEEDS Dell to sell a laptop with Ubuntu on it and support that laptop is someone who should stay with Windows. For me, part of the fun of Linux is installing it myself and making it work how I want it to work. I've been using Linux since 1996 and I still have not installed Ubuntu, because I can't bring myself to install something called "Ubuntu" . It might be the best distro... I don't know.. but the name kills it for me. One more thing: Why do people complain about having to pay an extra 50 for MS windows ? To me, that seems a bit irrational, because those same people who bitch and complain and REFUSE to buy the laptop if they have to pay an extra 50 are the same people who will spend 300 on a video card or games. If I want a new laptop, 50 is not going to sway my buying decision either way, because there are more important things, like the fact that I'm going to be using it a lot and I need it to be dependable. OK... I'm finished ranting now.
I know this thread has nothing to do with prisoners and suicide, but I could not resist responding to that comment. I actually saw several people commit suicide while I was in there, and guards who moved slow as syrup when a guy had a heart attack and I thanking god that I did not have any health problems.
I did 5 years Fed time in Texarkana TX and I can tell you that it ain't no picnic. The problem with American justice is that rapist, murders and child molesters get very little time.. except murder.. we've got life or good old capital punishment for that... and someone getting busted with 100 pounds of pot get's 10 years. There was one guy that I remember that mailed 10 hits of acid in the mail which made it a federal crime and he got a mandatory minimum 10 years. I'm convinced that really there is only the caught and uncaught. Most of the people in there were pretty good people.... ok maybe that's questionable.... but really.. can you say that you've never done anything that you could go to prison for ? And your OK with being treated like a lab rat while your in there ? Oh yeah..I wish I could have gotten out in 2 months with good behavior... that's a fantasy. There has been no parole since 1987. You get 52 days per year off for good behavior. That's all you get. They want to make sure they keep you around to do experiments with :)
That's an interesting accusation Mr. Tin Foil Hat. If there were a backdoor, there is no escaping detection when it's sitting behind a firewall that's logging everything. I'd love to be corrected on this though. Please show me some proof of a backdoor in Lenovo PC's.
Have you considered Lenovo ? It still has IBM stamped all over it and when you call ( If you ever have to ) for a warranty issue, you get to speak with "Tom in Atlanta" vs being on hold for 45 minutes with Dell and transfered to "Hamish in India" ( Nothing against Indian people, but I actually called the Dell warranty number and spoke with someone who could not understand me even after I spelled my company name. ) I've been tremendously happy with Lenovo and they support Linux all the way. Their prices are very competitive. On the high end, this X60 tablet I have is the best laptop I've ever had, it rocks ! If your looking for a straight business PC, I think something in the 600-800 range can be done. Over the years, I've bought hundreds of Dell PC's and hardly ever had a warranty issue, but if I had it to do over again, I would have gone with IBM/Lenovo, especially on laptops. Good luck !