This is amazing work. I bought the Humble Indie Bundle specifically to get Aquaria (and support Linux indie games!).
The fact that he managed to port a working version to the PSP so quickly is awesome. Bravo.
*goes to throw copy on PSP*
Was out back of my store having a smoke. I heard it first - I thought one hell of a semi must be coming around the corner. Then I felt it, my feet shaking a bit - nothing scary, lasted about 30 seconds. Still kind of cool, only the second time I've felt an earthquake.
I run CyanogenMod on my Rogers HTC Dream, and it has apparently had the fix for this issue for 5+ months. Yet I am still cut off from data access, they keep insisting I install their update.
I/love/ the system activity monitor from KDE. No complaints, at all - maybe that's why you don't get too much feedback, it works and works well!:)
Great job!
This is actually a big selling point for my business: I do computer repairs, and my focus is on selling people on the idea of using Linux. One of my best points is "On Windows, you are almost gauranteed to have malware on your computer tracking you and watching you, stealing your CC, etc.. If nothing else, use Linux to just log off windows, sign on to Linux and do your banking." Not perfect security, but a heck of a lot better than when you have malware trying to get that info every time you buy off Amazon or sign in to online banking to pay a bill.
I work in a local PC shop. I build new systems, and repairs ones people bring in. I have news for all of you.. The people who use computers: They are STUPID when it comes to computers! People that run their own business, mom and pa, the girl next door, the dentist in my building, etc... They all get dumb when it comes to computers.
This icon, over here, lets me use google, and watch videos on youtube... This icon, it's to write documents. This thingy over here, it lets you see the Earth (seriously!!).
Me: Can you click on the Start button and..
Customer: Wait, what?
Me: Click on the Start button.. at the bottom left of the screen...
Customer: Oh! I see it!
Seriously. Every damn day. This is where I stay quiet and *tears her hair out*. The amount of complexity in installing your operating system, setting it up for internet access, setting it up to play multimedia (codecs etc), and it many cases even installing the apps they need like Office.... these things DO NOT MATTER. If I asked one of my customers to install XP themselves... or bring home their new computer without a PDF reader installed, without flash installed (for those cool videos!), etc... They'd all leave! They get their computer back, they know they can open their attachments (video, pdf, etc), they know they can write a document, look at youtube, search google. This makes them happy!
Now, compare to Linux... you do not ask the customer to download it, burn it to an iso, and install it. No. A techie does it. I run my own business, doing nothing but Linux install, support, upgrades. When they get their computer back, or their new computer.. they can open pdf files (default in every linux install). They can view multimedia (I installed the codecs, verify sound works, etc.) They have shortcut icons on their desktop to start "the word program". Another to browse the net. Another for Skype (that I installed), another for playing music. These people.. Are happy! I cannot see how anyone can complain about the pains of installing and configuring linux (as if Windows was a breeze to get set up!). Joe Average User does _NOT_ install his own operating system, and he does not configure it for use. He gets it, and uses it. If you don't see that, you need to work in a small-time PC repair shop for a little while, talk to some real computer users.
My question: If I already bought the game (on my Wii), do I now get the Linux client for free?
When I read the first slashdot story on this game, I ran over to my Wii and bought it! I wanted to support these guys, and hey, it looked to be a fun game. I haven't played it much however because I just don't get to sit down with my Wii very much. I would however goof off with it at work on my Linux laptop... So, can I just get the Linux version? If not, well... I ain't paying for it again, sorry, even if it is a good game.
Funny, you're practically my next door neighbor. Yet I have a slightly different tale. This malware came out (we mostly see XP Antivirus 2008/2009), and at the computer store where I work you could almost hear the glee. Customers were pouring in with infected systems. Sometimes they came back in a day or two for another $100 cleanup because they re-infected themselves.
Call me strange, but I wish I worked around the mentality you described - helping my customers learn to protect themselves and do what they need/want, instead of eyeing their wallets greedily.
I bought my Dell (Inspiron 6400 with an ATI GPU) about a year and a half ago, and it has consistently had problems with over heating. The first time, 6 months after I bought it, the problem had degraded to the point where the laptop would crash ever half hour if not more often from heat lockup. Dell serviced it and it was working fine... until 6 months later when it started getting the occasional heat lockup again, and the laptop had just fallen out of warranty. Now I am at the point where if I turn on Kwin desktop effects, or play a game, or sometimes just playing a video, the laptop will quickly overheat and lockup. No warranty for me now! I have been greatly displeased with this laptop since the first month in.
Especially in a market dominated by a very small number of giants. When there's no competition, there's no way for consumers to vote with their wallets other than to do without internet access entirely.
I'm fortunate to live in an area where there are *two* competing monolithic ISP's, but if they happened to both engage in these practices I'd be hooped. That's the exact problem, hey? Rogers does Cable internet, Bell does DSL. Both of them perform throttling here... and all the smaller ISPs are under those 2... so there isn't much to do anymore if you live in Ottawa!
In general, I don't have a reason to point to and say "I feel depressed because of this". I usually just feel depressed, just.. because. It's not always so, and I can occasionally drag myself out of it, but most of the time I just feel sort of numb, no matter what's going on.
That is just it, my friend. I am sorry if I was not clear in how I put things. Being depressed is not "a natural human state" to be in. It is, however, a natural _reaction_. My point was not that depressed people are simply down, I do believe it is a serious problem and needs addressing, and clinical depression sometimes is because of chemical imbalances that need to be corrected. My point was more that psychologists, and doctors tend to prescribe these medications to too many people, often people who do NOT suffer from chemical imbalances in the brain. My point was that many of the "depressed" people out there have very valid reason to be depressed, and all too often it is overlooked and they have drugs shoved at them. The drugs have helped me in the past, I know I have that problem. But I have also seen far too many people have drugs given to them to make them "Better", only to have it screw them up more because they didn't need them. Simply put: You can be SEVERELY, suicidally depressed, for a very long time, because our world right now, and how the majority of us live in it, is fucked up and does not agree with how we have evolved to live in the world.
I agree with you, clinical depression is a very serious thing. I should know, I've been diagnosed as bipolar, manic-depressive, and, I quote "SEVERELY clinically depressed". To the point where I don't mention feelings to my doctors, cause they start asking me about razor blades and the like. I've tried the drugs -- believe me, I know what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about "Man, this is a crappy day" I'm talking about a never-ending, life long dysphoria with LIFE. You get occasional pick-me-ups in the form of the people you life, a funny cartoon, etc... but in general, life seems to kind of... suck. And even when those thoughts AREN'T going through your head (or mine), you still feel bogged down just by how you have to live in this society.
People seem to miss something that seems very obvious to me... They think "Oh! You're depressed.. there's something wrong with you, maybe these drugs can help it"... but depression is a _natural_ state in most living beings. Just look at dogs, they can get severely depressed, just like their owners. Sometimes, yes, a chemical imbalance is to blame and drugs can help. But more often than not a human being is depressed for a reason... bad relationship, money problems, reading about too much pain in the world from the newspaper. You name it, there are plenty of very valid reason all around us to get depressed. Our society has changed very quicktly in the past few centuries, and the past few decades, and it seems that this new way of living does not agree with a lot of people. Rush, do this, do that, look like this, behave like this, own this, spend your money more, more, etc, etc. This is all extremely stressful, and none of it to the betterment of ourselves as people. "Okay, so, I bought myself a fancy new $600 sofa. It's pretty and soft and my guests will be impressed...... Hmmm.... So, where's my scotch?"
Am I the only one, that when I hear these things, thinks "Mutation" ? I can just see "We made a new bacteria to help us!"... a few years later, "Oh no, the bacteria mutated and now it's going to wipe out 98% of the world's population!"
I actually happen to agree with you. Hence my attitude of "Why did they have to mess up a few things that ruined an otherwise great phone/tech toy?" The interface seems brilliant... but not being able to customize what you do with it, or who you do it with... that really sucks.
I think I'll just wait until another iPhone type phone comes out. The openmoko, or something along those lines. Because something else with touchscreen and video and etc WILL come out, and I have no doubt it will be better, considering how many people are p.o.'ed about the restrictions on the iPhone (like 3rd party apps, restriction to AT&T, etc). Just a matter of time.
It's worse then that. Socially inept men tend to make the world an unpleasant place to live in, period. Case in point: The child that posted before who is endeared by the term "faggot". I am NOT a piece of wood!
Wow, and people say I'M a sexual sadist!
Besides, I wouldn't taint my box with Vista, unless it were absolutely necessary. And Linux behaves itself, more or less.
And people wonder, when they find out, why I don't tell them upfront that I have a fiancee, or that I am dating at all. Too many children on slashdot, apparently. *sigh*
Slashdot Mirror
Seems to me like these kids should spend some time at Khan Academy.
This is amazing work. I bought the Humble Indie Bundle specifically to get Aquaria (and support Linux indie games!). The fact that he managed to port a working version to the PSP so quickly is awesome. Bravo. *goes to throw copy on PSP*
Was out back of my store having a smoke. I heard it first - I thought one hell of a semi must be coming around the corner. Then I felt it, my feet shaking a bit - nothing scary, lasted about 30 seconds. Still kind of cool, only the second time I've felt an earthquake.
I run CyanogenMod on my Rogers HTC Dream, and it has apparently had the fix for this issue for 5+ months. Yet I am still cut off from data access, they keep insisting I install their update.
I /love/ the system activity monitor from KDE. No complaints, at all - maybe that's why you don't get too much feedback, it works and works well! :)
Great job!
This is actually a big selling point for my business: I do computer repairs, and my focus is on selling people on the idea of using Linux. One of my best points is "On Windows, you are almost gauranteed to have malware on your computer tracking you and watching you, stealing your CC, etc.. If nothing else, use Linux to just log off windows, sign on to Linux and do your banking." Not perfect security, but a heck of a lot better than when you have malware trying to get that info every time you buy off Amazon or sign in to online banking to pay a bill.
This icon, over here, lets me use google, and watch videos on youtube... This icon, it's to write documents. This thingy over here, it lets you see the Earth (seriously!!).
Me: Can you click on the Start button and..
Customer: Wait, what? Me: Click on the Start button.. at the bottom left of the screen... Customer: Oh! I see it!
Seriously. Every damn day. This is where I stay quiet and *tears her hair out*. The amount of complexity in installing your operating system, setting it up for internet access, setting it up to play multimedia (codecs etc), and it many cases even installing the apps they need like Office.... these things DO NOT MATTER. If I asked one of my customers to install XP themselves... or bring home their new computer without a PDF reader installed, without flash installed (for those cool videos!), etc... They'd all leave! They get their computer back, they know they can open their attachments (video, pdf, etc), they know they can write a document, look at youtube, search google. This makes them happy!
Now, compare to Linux... you do not ask the customer to download it, burn it to an iso, and install it. No. A techie does it. I run my own business, doing nothing but Linux install, support, upgrades. When they get their computer back, or their new computer.. they can open pdf files (default in every linux install). They can view multimedia (I installed the codecs, verify sound works, etc.) They have shortcut icons on their desktop to start "the word program". Another to browse the net. Another for Skype (that I installed), another for playing music. These people.. Are happy! I cannot see how anyone can complain about the pains of installing and configuring linux (as if Windows was a breeze to get set up!). Joe Average User does _NOT_ install his own operating system, and he does not configure it for use. He gets it, and uses it. If you don't see that, you need to work in a small-time PC repair shop for a little while, talk to some real computer users.
Glad I recently switched my router to Tomato. Works better than DD-WRT, too.
My question: If I already bought the game (on my Wii), do I now get the Linux client for free? When I read the first slashdot story on this game, I ran over to my Wii and bought it! I wanted to support these guys, and hey, it looked to be a fun game. I haven't played it much however because I just don't get to sit down with my Wii very much. I would however goof off with it at work on my Linux laptop... So, can I just get the Linux version? If not, well... I ain't paying for it again, sorry, even if it is a good game.
Naw, I already found her. Though in my case, I got her interested in Linux! :)
Funny, you're practically my next door neighbor. Yet I have a slightly different tale. This malware came out (we mostly see XP Antivirus 2008/2009), and at the computer store where I work you could almost hear the glee. Customers were pouring in with infected systems. Sometimes they came back in a day or two for another $100 cleanup because they re-infected themselves. Call me strange, but I wish I worked around the mentality you described - helping my customers learn to protect themselves and do what they need/want, instead of eyeing their wallets greedily.
I bought my Dell (Inspiron 6400 with an ATI GPU) about a year and a half ago, and it has consistently had problems with over heating. The first time, 6 months after I bought it, the problem had degraded to the point where the laptop would crash ever half hour if not more often from heat lockup. Dell serviced it and it was working fine... until 6 months later when it started getting the occasional heat lockup again, and the laptop had just fallen out of warranty. Now I am at the point where if I turn on Kwin desktop effects, or play a game, or sometimes just playing a video, the laptop will quickly overheat and lockup. No warranty for me now! I have been greatly displeased with this laptop since the first month in.
In general, I don't have a reason to point to and say "I feel depressed because of this". I usually just feel depressed, just.. because. It's not always so, and I can occasionally drag myself out of it, but most of the time I just feel sort of numb, no matter what's going on.
That is just it, my friend. I am sorry if I was not clear in how I put things. Being depressed is not "a natural human state" to be in. It is, however, a natural _reaction_. My point was not that depressed people are simply down, I do believe it is a serious problem and needs addressing, and clinical depression sometimes is because of chemical imbalances that need to be corrected. My point was more that psychologists, and doctors tend to prescribe these medications to too many people, often people who do NOT suffer from chemical imbalances in the brain. My point was that many of the "depressed" people out there have very valid reason to be depressed, and all too often it is overlooked and they have drugs shoved at them. The drugs have helped me in the past, I know I have that problem. But I have also seen far too many people have drugs given to them to make them "Better", only to have it screw them up more because they didn't need them. Simply put: You can be SEVERELY, suicidally depressed, for a very long time, because our world right now, and how the majority of us live in it, is fucked up and does not agree with how we have evolved to live in the world.
I agree with you, clinical depression is a very serious thing. I should know, I've been diagnosed as bipolar, manic-depressive, and, I quote "SEVERELY clinically depressed". To the point where I don't mention feelings to my doctors, cause they start asking me about razor blades and the like. I've tried the drugs -- believe me, I know what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about "Man, this is a crappy day" I'm talking about a never-ending, life long dysphoria with LIFE. You get occasional pick-me-ups in the form of the people you life, a funny cartoon, etc... but in general, life seems to kind of... suck. And even when those thoughts AREN'T going through your head (or mine), you still feel bogged down just by how you have to live in this society.
People seem to miss something that seems very obvious to me... They think "Oh! You're depressed.. there's something wrong with you, maybe these drugs can help it" ... but depression is a _natural_ state in most living beings. Just look at dogs, they can get severely depressed, just like their owners. Sometimes, yes, a chemical imbalance is to blame and drugs can help. But more often than not a human being is depressed for a reason... bad relationship, money problems, reading about too much pain in the world from the newspaper. You name it, there are plenty of very valid reason all around us to get depressed. Our society has changed very quicktly in the past few centuries, and the past few decades, and it seems that this new way of living does not agree with a lot of people. Rush, do this, do that, look like this, behave like this, own this, spend your money more, more, etc, etc. This is all extremely stressful, and none of it to the betterment of ourselves as people. "Okay, so, I bought myself a fancy new $600 sofa. It's pretty and soft and my guests will be impressed...... Hmmm.... So, where's my scotch?"
Am I the only one, that when I hear these things, thinks "Mutation" ? I can just see "We made a new bacteria to help us!" ... a few years later, "Oh no, the bacteria mutated and now it's going to wipe out 98% of the world's population!"
I actually happen to agree with you. Hence my attitude of "Why did they have to mess up a few things that ruined an otherwise great phone/tech toy?" The interface seems brilliant... but not being able to customize what you do with it, or who you do it with... that really sucks.
I think I'll just wait until another iPhone type phone comes out. The openmoko, or something along those lines. Because something else with touchscreen and video and etc WILL come out, and I have no doubt it will be better, considering how many people are p.o.'ed about the restrictions on the iPhone (like 3rd party apps, restriction to AT&T, etc). Just a matter of time.
You could drop by the shop, and pay me good money to repair something. ;)
This would be different from their current routine, how?... :)
It's worse then that. Socially inept men tend to make the world an unpleasant place to live in, period. Case in point: The child that posted before who is endeared by the term "faggot". I am NOT a piece of wood!
Wow, and people say I'M a sexual sadist! Besides, I wouldn't taint my box with Vista, unless it were absolutely necessary. And Linux behaves itself, more or less.
And people wonder, when they find out, why I don't tell them upfront that I have a fiancee, or that I am dating at all. Too many children on slashdot, apparently. *sigh*