Let me see if I've got this straight. It would be wrong for me to whine about another JonKatz article (for instance) showing up on my homepage, because I have the ability to filter that rubbish out, but its also wrong for me to whine about stuff showing up on my homepage that I am unable to filter out. Is it really TOO much to ask? But you're right, nothing gets changed, so why even bother to complain? Its okay. I can find better uses for my own bandwidth, starting right now.
I agree, but some of us are so hopelessly addicted to/. that going to another site is a bit like cheating on your significant other;-) Heh. But really my point was is I'd like to see kernel announcements separated into different topics. Its not like the "Linux" topic contains news items strictly concerning the kernel proper. I'd like to be able to filter out devel kernel announcements. They get me all excited that a new stable kernel thats stable is out, but no, its just another devel kernel. Don't get me wrong, it might be a good kernel, but I have enough trouble with the so called stable kernels, that there is no way I will touch a devel kernel again. I don't have any fancy hardware that isn't already supported in 2.4.x.
I agree with the parent comment, except that I would say that the 2.x.x series is a big deal for most of us, since we're going to be running it for awhile, I think. As for the 2.5.x series, I could care less, its a development kernel, which should be considered beta quality at best and completely broken at worst. A new 2.5.x kernel is no news to me. 3.x.x is likely a long way off, so I'd consider it a big deal when the roll the 2.5.x development series over to the 2.6.x stable. Of course everyone will already be celebrating with several pints of Guiness hours before/. ends up posting the 2.6.x announcement. Heh.
You know what really bewiders me? This a frickin development kernel. Which could have its own merits I guess, but I'm too uninterested to read the changelog or keep up with development kernels in general. I have a life outside Linux, sorry. Anyway, where was the/. news item (and frontpage like this one, no less) for 2.5.18? or *.15? Etc... Why is this one so special? Is it the last in the 2.5.* series before code freeze or something? Oh.. no its not. I beg the Editors to not just lump all major and minor kernel releases under the "Linux" topic, which in itself I think is far too broad, especially for this audience. Please please please create 2 more topics: Linux Kernel Development Releases (stable) and ditto (unstable). I think slashdot is Linux-centric enough *ducks*, that we can handle having 2 topics just for kernel devel releases. Then I can just filter out the unstable kernel release posts and not have to whine and bitch about this all the time.
Besides, it'd be interesting to be able to search by topic for a given kernel release, and look at the comments to see how well recieved it was, etc etc.
-- Getting more disenchanted with/. by the day.
I'm all for it. I could care less if people get arrested for downloading mp3s and selling them. I download music that I am interested in getting acquainted with and/or to preview an artist's album before I actually buy it. If I like the album enough, I'll buy it, so I have a physically perfect copy for archival purposes. I use the MP3 CDs for day-to-day listening because they are disposible. If one breaks or whatever, I can just burn a new copy. Nice. My computer is dreadfully slow by today's standards, and it takes overly-long to encode to mp3. It would be nice if I could just hop on the artist's site and pay x amount of dollars per high-quality (say 196kbps) mp3s instead of having to encode them myself.
Good luck finding a "notepad" lookalike that's available on any Unix system. I think you are thinking too Linux centric when you're suggesting emacs or pico. While these tools are probably closer to what they are used to, they are just not going to be available on a standard install of say Solaris, AIX or another commercial Unix. Even on a lot of Linux systems they will not be available. OTOH It's a pretty safe bet that vi *will* be available.
Anyway, I thought the purpose was to teach them things they don't know yet (like vi) as opposed to things they already do know (like notepad).
Kedit. Gedit. Kwrite. They're all close enough to Notepad for me.
Giving up moderator privelages on this one to respond. (I'd moderate my own post here either Flamebait or Offtopic for what its worth).
I hate to say this because a lot of people on this site have such strong feelings about CD music, but the fact is that the overall economy was up 2% last year. Strictly speaking, by all traditional economic measures the economy did not experience a recession (2 consecutive quarters of negative growth), Sure, some segments of the economy were hit by the bursting of the internet bubble, but the fact is that a 10% decline in CD music sales cannot easily be explained by whatever was happening in the overall economy.
Maybe it was actually, in fact, due to piracy.
Would you mind telling that to the millions of people that are still laid off. How about the even more that have had to tighten thier belts? I don't know about you, but a bad economy is a scary thing, and is a threat to our continued (comfortable) existance. People tend to pinch pennies real quick when their livelihood is threatened. The economy didn't affect me much because I am already poor, and I only make 8 bucks an hour anyway. But I watched a lot of daddies get laid off from their factory job, with no other alternatives. Do you think those daddies bought little Susie that latest Britney Spears CD? Not likely. Now multiply that 19.00 loss of sale times a few million. Lets forget its an artificial loss. If CD prices were lower they wouldn't be losing as much money, would they? I can tell you there are way more people affected by the economic downturn than there are pirates. If not, then there is a good percentage of the US population that lives against the law. Maybe the law of the people should be revised, then?
Let me see then, then are there so many citizens that are pirates? There are a few other companies that tried to blame thier losses on things other than the economic downturn. But, on the other hand, there are also companies that blames thier mysterious loss of money on the economy when it wasn't so. Who knows. I don't give a rip. I'm not dependant enough on the RIAA to much care. However, I do care when they get legislation passed that erodes my rights as a born citizen of the United States of America, the greatest "free" nation in the world. Are these bought policitians so unpatriotic that they would go against the very philosophy that every true patriot of this nation holds dear?
What I rather care more about is the government truly showing the strong arm of the people, and preventing this stupid bullshit from happening. Way back in simpler times, rich men ruled. If they got too out of hand, or inflicted too much cruelty on his countrymen, he either went nuts or someone killed him. Then life resumed as normal, and the people never knew how much better off they were for it. Today these rich men are replaced by big business, but like the Hydra of myth, it can't be so easily defeated with a shot to the head. Its unfortunate that times have changed so much that it would even be necessary to regulate businesses through legislation, but I fear this is the logical and necessary action in order to protect the liberty and well-being of the People. Yes, remember, "We the People, in order to form a more perfect union..."?
Sorry, forgot to turn the rant tag on for this one, but it really frustrates me that my own countrymen cannot grasp the fact that the government and big business are in bed together, but there is something that can be done about it. Get the crooked politicians out of Washington, get more involved in your local governments, and remember to vote with your own wallet when it comes to consumer products and services. Tax the hell out of companies for doing naughty things. Increase the tax a certain percentage everytime they get caught doing something naughty. Shut down companies that don't pay thier taxes. That way, even if they are successful at pushing a product, they still have to give a chunk of that money back to the people. Bad businesses would tend to just flop over and die sooner or later, or deal with having less cash flow. Either way, it'd make 'em more honest.
Yeah, but the idea is that if they didnn't exist, people's code wouldn't have to be as resilliant to attacks. It's the classic chicken or the egg story.
Ummm, no. Computer viruses will forever exist. The fact that viruses do exist means people's code DOES have to be resiliant to attacks. End of story. Its a little like saying that if there were no viruses, humans wouldn't die from HIV. No shit. Are you telling me that people shouldn't study HIV because it might infect someone? Guess what, it happens anyway. At least if someone's studying it, there's a chance a cure can be found.
Make sense? Now use the same analogy in the context of computers again. Thank you.
that even as I type this I am ripping a CD to MP3. Yes its my CD, I paid for it. Its starting to get pretty beat up, so I want an archivial copy of it before its totally unreadable. The RIAA seems to want to make me think this is illegal. The funny thing is that when I pay for a CD, I am paying for the content, which I have the right to do with however I see fit. The fact that I might do something with the content which breaks a law is completely irrelavant. In actuality, almost all the MP3's I've downloaded are tracks from CDs I've either lost, wrecked, or had stolen. I don't think thats wrong. Yes, I also download other tracks, but mostly this is to broaden my musical tastes, which leads to increased spending on these artists. I don't think any of my uses for MP3 and such are out of line. I don't think my usage hurts the RIAA (much to my chagrin). Anyway maybe my next machine will be a Gateway...
I only wish I could accept that as true. But, the sad fact is that the lobbists are in bed with the congressmen. Congressmen that dare to buck the corporations and do the right thing are liable to have Bad Things(TM) happen to them. Thats why our lawmakers are so corrupt. They either play the game, or they get taken out (in some regard). In this day it can be dangerous to truly represent the voice of the people, defying those with real power (read: lots of money). Everyone has a price that will corrupt them, its easy for a entity with lots and lots of money to spread corruption and ensure its own interests.
I would have more faith in the government if the current lobby setup was modified. There should be some restrictions on what kind of lobbying can be done. Perhaps lobbyist should lobby to the people instead of our representatives. We'll let the representitives know what we think of thier proposals, thank you very much.
Yes, I know the majority of the population lives in the metro area. How far can your town be from MSP and still be considered a suburb? I live 40 miles southeast of Minneapolis. The point I was trying to make is that nevertheless, Minnesota is primarily a rural state. There's a damn lot of farmland out here. Also, I thought the metro area population was something more like 1.5 million out of the state's 4 million residents, but thats probably from a census 10 or 20 years ago, so I'm not sure how accurate that figure is now. Of course if we didn't have such an expansive metro area, Minnesota may not be as tech-oriented, but we're not exactly living the Kansas life in the outstate either. Most of the small towns (read: population 500 - 4000) around here are very receptive to technology. Perhaps its different in other parts of the state, but lying between MSP and Rochester offers us a rather unique life here.
Also, I doubt that the mass of population in the metro is very indicative of anything in particular. The inner-city folk don't seem to be quite as receptive to tech as the folks out here (IMHO because they'd rather spend their money on drugs, but chalk that up to a few too many trips to the east side of St. Paul. Nasty). I think maybe the relaxed way of life out here in the sticks makes for more time to play with hi-tech stuff. In any case, its nice to see our Congress watching out for us.
As a resident and taxpayer of Minnesota, I am pleased. The funny thing about Minnesota is that even though the state is mostly rural, its pretty hip to the whole tech thing. Outside California or New York, Minnesota is one of your more tech-friendly states. The cool thing is that the Congress is also very aware what the tech industry is all about. Its nice to live in a state where you can be a programmer and still live out in God's Country;-)
All gushing aside, I'm glad to see the Minnesotan Congress get something Good(TM) done (especially lately). I'm pretty sure Minnesota is also still suing Microsoft.
Also, in this week's Pioneer Press TECH section, we had such articles such as Linux's determined quest as a desktop os. That article talked about CodeWeavers (of WINE fame) and the work they've done to allow Linux users to decently manipulate MS Office documents. There was also a nice writeup about the plight of internet radio, and how the RIAA is assraping them.
Oh pish-posh! Let's see a show of hands, who here is between 18 and 46? Uh, huh. Mostly legal adults, I'd guess. The 'male, adolescent-minded geeky comminity' has no more a immature obsession with sex than any other demographic. You find this everywhere, not just in the geek subculture, as it were.
Besides, being a geek certainly has nothing to do with the fact that I often crack sexually-related jokes. I'd guess it has more to do with the fact that I'm a 20 year old male, and the testosterone still flows in full force.
I'd also like to point out that acknowledging and providing a reaction for this type of 'sexism' only compounds the percieved problem and contributes to a truly intimidating and hostile environment, for men and women alike.
When I am bullshitting with my buddies about my nympho ex-girlfriend and all the freaky shit she wanted to do, I sure as hell don't need anyone (male or female) telling me that I am offending them. If you don't like it, ignore it, or if you're up to the challenge, do one better than me.
Over-generalizing the 'geek community' is just as offensive as any sexist statement I could make. Most sexism is taken as such, but generalizations often get mistaken for truth.
So because the History channel has better info and research potential than FOX, we should subsidise cable to the home? Not a chance. Subsidised broadband for kids research? Sure, in the schools and libraries.
Not at all. I don't find much of TV very educational, not the same way the internet can be. Besides, I don't know about your local school district, but around here kids have to stay after school in order to get on the computer, because they are occupied all through the school day. I have a computer at home, and I would rather have my kids at home looking stuff up on the net than sitting at the school after hours to do so. I would also much rather that the gov't sponsor a fiber-to-the-curb deal rather then spending the same money on more school computers that will be obsolete in a few years.
I am a taxpayer too. I don't want to pay to have some moron abusing the pipe. Yet, realistically, we all end up paying for it now anyhow. My ISP's gotta pay for the bandwidth somehow, so I always remember to thank the lamers for the higher rate. (Yes, this actually happened at my ISP twice)
The whole idea is to have the local gov't subsidize the infrastructure (the fat pipes). So in this whole scenario of course companies aren't lining up at my door to feed pipe. Thats the the gov't is supposed to do. However, once the pipes are in place, I'll bet there will be plenty of companies lining up to provide the net access that runs through those pipes.
And yes, I really do want gov't supported net access. If the rumors about Echelon and/or Magic Lantern are true, then the gov't is surely already collecting info on me. If they're going to do it either way, then the gov't should be laying the pipe. I consider it a fair tradeoff. I don't do anything I'm not supposed to, so go ahead and collect meaningless information on me. Just gimme my fat pipe!
And on a personal note, YrWrstNtmr, its attitudes like yours that just bewilder me. Its the same people that don't want to contribute that complain about what a lousy job the gov't does. The gov't is supposed to act in the collective interest of the citizens (not just big taxpayers and campaign contributors) of the United States. Clearly much of the time they don't, but when I can see an opportunity for the gov't to actually do something good, I'm all for it. If it turned out to be a bad deal for the public, well, you only have to lay the pipe once. You can only really get screwed over once. As for my current ISP, I get screwed over on a continuous basis. Ditto for the few other available options in the area.
Why screw around with the dialups though? Heck, with the way things are going, you won't even see a working modem in 20 years. Why pay for an infrastructure thats already aging? Fiber is gonna be around for a long time, so it'd make more sense to invest in a infrastructure with fat pipes that will be worth something for awhile. If local governments chose to subsidize internet access, it'd be far cheaper in the long-run to lay the fiber now.
Besides, have you ever tried to download RedHat ISOs on a 56K dialup? Its all but impossible. Having a faster net connection would allow me to take advantage of benefits that already exist in society (free-software).
Besides, just because a dialup is a sufficient way to recieve information now doesn't mean it will be in the future. By the time my children get into school, I'd like them to be able to do some VALUABLE research on the internet. Fully interactive multimedia sites are more fun than reading text.
Completely ruined the spirit of the tale? I have to disagree. I hadn't read The Lord Of The Rings before I watched LOTR::FOTR. While its true that for the most part, I was confused as all hell, it did spark my curiosity enough to read the the trilogy. Just recently I finished The Silmarillion. Now in retrospect, I couldn't see how Jackson could have stayed any truer to some aspects of the story. "Oh but this is left out and what about this and that blah blah" you say? Hmm well some stuff did deserve to be left out. The whole Bombadil thing is only a side-venture and the rest of the story does not depend on it. As for other stuff that seems left out (like the reforging of Narsil), perhaps we'll get a flashback to that in LOTR::TTT. I guess that point could be said about anything that seems to be left out of LOTR::FOTR.
Anyway, all I am getting at is that the movie trilogy has not been fully revealed to us, so I'd save any critique about it (as in contrast to the book) until all three movies have been released. Also, LOTR::FOTR was interesting enough that I was compelled to read the whole book. Jackson must have gotten something right, because I have an urge to see the movie again.
Now what I think would be pretty badass would be a movie-translation of the Silmarillion. No offense to those cute hobbits, but the creation of Arda thru the end of the Second Age are more interesting to me. It'd be pretty badass to witness the Music of Ainur, the beauty of the Undying Lands, the creation and loss of the Silmarils (and Morgoth getting his ass kicked but good), and the rise and fall of Numenor. After all, The Silmarillion sets the stage for Lord Of The Rings. Any fan of Middle-Earth that hasn't read The Silmarillion should do so. Now if I could just become fluent in the high-elven tongue... hehe
Out of all the science-fiction in star trek, I would have never guessed that a COM badge would become science-fact.
Our privacy-hating government would love that. Screw putting all of a person's personal data on a card, just require the use of a COM badge that records your every move, word, which opens doors you are allowed access to, and it also acts as your car key. Whatta world...
Aside from possible applications, the technology itself is fascinating. Don't look at my pointy ears, buddy.
Actually, I disagree. I think it aughtta be federal law that ever computer operating system come with a copy of its source.
At this time I don't think people quite realize at what risk they put themselves at by using a closed-source OS. The OS is what makes the computer do stuff, and I want to be damned sure my computer is doing the stuff I want it to do, at the same time as disallowing stuff I don't want it to do. I don't think I have to clarify on that. I don't want hotfixes.
While the general populous has no direct need for the source code for an OS, bugfixes come alot sooner that way. Why shouldn't the source be included? I am sure these geniuses can figure out how to freely distribute source without hurting thier cash flow... Plus, it'd keep companies like M$ alot more honest. I'd like to see M$ get punished for what they've been convicted of, but I'd also like to see a piece of pro-consumer legislation out of the deal. The taxpayers could end up saving money, too.
Quoth Taco: "So this thing could transmit my entire mp3 collection in under a half second."
You know the first time I read that, I equated that Taco's mp3 collection is somewhere round 1 terabyte. Then I did the double-take! Aha!, - So of course his collection is nowhere near 1 TB, but thats how I read it.
Learning some marketing tactics from the big boys, eh?!
You know, I thought exactly the opposite thing when I installed WinXP. I thought its default look/feel/whatever was extremely reminiscent of a certain few Linux (and other UNIX bretheren) Desktop Environments.
Now, regardless of who copied who, what difference does it make anyway? I _like_ the way KDE 2.2.2 looks and feels. Similarly, I like WinXP way more than its predecessors, much for the same reason. Well, that and XP doesn't crash quite so much.
As for IceWM, I've never much cared for it.
Lets not forget how many times MS has been caught ripping off other folks' ideas. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. If someone did come up with a totally different GUI style, the likelihood that its going to be accepted and used by everyone is pretty small. People don't like fooling around with stuff they are unfamiliar with when they are trying to get stuff done. Thats why I use WinXP and KDE 2.2.2. I am comfortable with the UI, and I can focus on getting things done, instead of fucking around for hours on end trying to figure out how to do x. Its for that reason that I've never really cared for Enlightenment, IceWM, or Gnome. (I only include Gnome here because its had a nasty history of throwing SegFaults for no apparent reason).
Back for a moment to how KDE3 seems such a blatant ripoff of 'Doze. Have you installed KDE3 and played around with it? Neither have I. It would make sense that KDE would most resemble Windows simply because it uses QT, which is also compatible with windows. Furthermore, if it is the aim for Linux to provide viable competition in the Desktop market, there needs to be a desktop environment that is just as pretty as windows, but is more stable. Damn, isn't that what KDE is? I would think that all Linux fans would appreciate something that contributes to the cause (dominance of Open Source/Free Software/etc), even if is not exactly their cup of tea.
What exactly is a legitimate Linux user, pray tell?
If the next version of KDE was to be name KDE XP, it'd probably be a pretty smart marketing strategy, assuming there are no legality issues with using the letters X and P consecutively.
Probably nothing. The water spinning in your toilet is a result of the Earth's rotation, not its magnetic field. Though if the magnetic field changes (poles shift), you could end up with slighly rustier toilet water.. hehe
First off, kudos to Congressman Boucher for doing the right thing. Thanx.
Second, I wonder how many people realize that our global civilization is at a turning point. Twenty years ago, the RIAA didn't worry as much about Fair Use (or otherwise). It was just too localized and distribution was nominal, compared to today's state. Now, we have a wired world. We live in a world where information is literally at your fingertips. We are a civilization that craves information, and sometimes even knowledge.
Now, our natural human instict to learn and expand our minds has been severely limited by corporate interests, which concern themselves with monetary matters instead of academic ones. Perhaps we should have seen this coming. Some might argue we did. Our culture seems to be moving into a 1984-esque one. And now, we actually have to fight to do something that is human instinct. Its about as ridiculous as trying to legistlate sex. People will do it because they have an inherent desire to do so, regardless of the possible consequences. It would seem, then, that creating consequences to prevent this behavior is unproductive. If people are legally denied what they feel is necessary, they will rebel. Will the Information Age be followed by the Information Wars? No corporation would dare contribute to the onset of a very real political upheaval, but they will press thier luck and gouge for money as much as they can. Eventually, they could become less careful and more greedy (also inherent human trait), and inadvertantly spark such a rebellion.
That is why I support what Congressman Boucher is doing. The legislation bought by these corporations needs to be struck down before it spirals out of control. Remember, the price of Liberty is eternal vigilence.
I can create theft with a crowbar and some duct tape, whether or not the hardware store advertised this fact.
Besides, 'Rip, Burn, and Mix' is perfectly legal. I have a tendency to be rough on CDs. Nor do I like all the songs on any given one. Its very nice to be able to create a mix copy of my favorites. Best of all, thats perfectly legal. I can do anything I want with a legally-purchased CD. I can use it for a coaster, I can use it as a frisbee, and I can use it damn near any way I choose, as long as it doesn't make me money. Its not like apple says 'Rip, Burn, and Mix (illegal music)' or anything. Sheesh, gimme a break.
Personally, I've been looking for some way to give back to slashdot, so this is quite fine by me. This kind of things happens eventually to any site that amasses a good-sized following. There just comes a point where moving to a subscription-based format is the only fair way to defray the costs of running the service. I think Taco and Hemos have come up with a rather decent way to address this issue. Its not like they are taking away something we used to get for free. (*ahem* say like Activestate did with Komodo)
For those who grumble that the editors might turn a profit, I ask only why they shouldn't. If their efforts are used daily by over 300,000 people, maybe they deserve something for thier trouble. I congratulate them on the ongoing success of slashdot, and I also commend them for trying to approach this issue in a mature and intelligent way.
On the other hand, now I finally have to get a paypal account;-)
Slashdot Mirror
Let me see if I've got this straight. It would be wrong for me to whine about another JonKatz article (for instance) showing up on my homepage, because I have the ability to filter that rubbish out, but its also wrong for me to whine about stuff showing up on my homepage that I am unable to filter out. Is it really TOO much to ask? But you're right, nothing gets changed, so why even bother to complain? Its okay. I can find better uses for my own bandwidth, starting right now.
I agree, but some of us are so hopelessly addicted to /. that going to another site is a bit like cheating on your significant other ;-) Heh. But really my point was is I'd like to see kernel announcements separated into different topics. Its not like the "Linux" topic contains news items strictly concerning the kernel proper. I'd like to be able to filter out devel kernel announcements. They get me all excited that a new stable kernel thats stable is out, but no, its just another devel kernel. Don't get me wrong, it might be a good kernel, but I have enough trouble with the so called stable kernels, that there is no way I will touch a devel kernel again. I don't have any fancy hardware that isn't already supported in 2.4.x.
I agree with the parent comment, except that I would say that the 2.x.x series is a big deal for most of us, since we're going to be running it for awhile, I think. As for the 2.5.x series, I could care less, its a development kernel, which should be considered beta quality at best and completely broken at worst. A new 2.5.x kernel is no news to me. 3.x.x is likely a long way off, so I'd consider it a big deal when the roll the 2.5.x development series over to the 2.6.x stable. Of course everyone will already be celebrating with several pints of Guiness hours before /. ends up posting the 2.6.x announcement. Heh.
You know what really bewiders me? This a frickin development kernel. Which could have its own merits I guess, but I'm too uninterested to read the changelog or keep up with development kernels in general. I have a life outside Linux, sorry. Anyway, where was the /. news item (and frontpage like this one, no less) for 2.5.18? or *.15? Etc... Why is this one so special? Is it the last in the 2.5.* series before code freeze or something? Oh.. no its not. I beg the Editors to not just lump all major and minor kernel releases under the "Linux" topic, which in itself I think is far too broad, especially for this audience. Please please please create 2 more topics: Linux Kernel Development Releases (stable) and ditto (unstable). I think slashdot is Linux-centric enough *ducks*, that we can handle having 2 topics just for kernel devel releases. Then I can just filter out the unstable kernel release posts and not have to whine and bitch about this all the time.
/. by the day.
Besides, it'd be interesting to be able to search by topic for a given kernel release, and look at the comments to see how well recieved it was, etc etc. -- Getting more disenchanted with
I read the headline and thought about the same thing. "Penguins invade North Pole hmmm.. Well I'll be damned, those wacky scientists"
Come to find out they meant Linux. I think for real penguins living in at the North Pole would be cooler.
I'm all for it. I could care less if people get arrested for downloading mp3s and selling them. I download music that I am interested in getting acquainted with and/or to preview an artist's album before I actually buy it. If I like the album enough, I'll buy it, so I have a physically perfect copy for archival purposes. I use the MP3 CDs for day-to-day listening because they are disposible. If one breaks or whatever, I can just burn a new copy. Nice. My computer is dreadfully slow by today's standards, and it takes overly-long to encode to mp3. It would be nice if I could just hop on the artist's site and pay x amount of dollars per high-quality (say 196kbps) mp3s instead of having to encode them myself.
Good luck finding a "notepad" lookalike that's available on any Unix system. I think you are thinking too Linux centric when you're suggesting emacs or pico. While these tools are probably closer to what they are used to, they are just not going to be available on a standard install of say Solaris, AIX or another commercial Unix. Even on a lot of Linux systems they will not be available. OTOH It's a pretty safe bet that vi *will* be available. Anyway, I thought the purpose was to teach them things they don't know yet (like vi) as opposed to things they already do know (like notepad).
Kedit. Gedit. Kwrite. They're all close enough to Notepad for me.
Giving up moderator privelages on this one to respond. (I'd moderate my own post here either Flamebait or Offtopic for what its worth).
..."?
I hate to say this because a lot of people on this site have such strong feelings about CD music, but the fact is that the overall economy was up 2% last year. Strictly speaking, by all traditional economic measures the economy did not experience a recession (2 consecutive quarters of negative growth), Sure, some segments of the economy were hit by the bursting of the internet bubble, but the fact is that a 10% decline in CD music sales cannot easily be explained by whatever was happening in the overall economy.
Maybe it was actually, in fact, due to piracy.
Would you mind telling that to the millions of people that are still laid off. How about the even more that have had to tighten thier belts? I don't know about you, but a bad economy is a scary thing, and is a threat to our continued (comfortable) existance. People tend to pinch pennies real quick when their livelihood is threatened. The economy didn't affect me much because I am already poor, and I only make 8 bucks an hour anyway. But I watched a lot of daddies get laid off from their factory job, with no other alternatives. Do you think those daddies bought little Susie that latest Britney Spears CD? Not likely. Now multiply that 19.00 loss of sale times a few million. Lets forget its an artificial loss. If CD prices were lower they wouldn't be losing as much money, would they? I can tell you there are way more people affected by the economic downturn than there are pirates. If not, then there is a good percentage of the US population that lives against the law. Maybe the law of the people should be revised, then?
Let me see then, then are there so many citizens that are pirates? There are a few other companies that tried to blame thier losses on things other than the economic downturn. But, on the other hand, there are also companies that blames thier mysterious loss of money on the economy when it wasn't so. Who knows. I don't give a rip. I'm not dependant enough on the RIAA to much care. However, I do care when they get legislation passed that erodes my rights as a born citizen of the United States of America, the greatest "free" nation in the world. Are these bought policitians so unpatriotic that they would go against the very philosophy that every true patriot of this nation holds dear?
What I rather care more about is the government truly showing the strong arm of the people, and preventing this stupid bullshit from happening. Way back in simpler times, rich men ruled. If they got too out of hand, or inflicted too much cruelty on his countrymen, he either went nuts or someone killed him. Then life resumed as normal, and the people never knew how much better off they were for it. Today these rich men are replaced by big business, but like the Hydra of myth, it can't be so easily defeated with a shot to the head. Its unfortunate that times have changed so much that it would even be necessary to regulate businesses through legislation, but I fear this is the logical and necessary action in order to protect the liberty and well-being of the People. Yes, remember, "We the People, in order to form a more perfect union
Sorry, forgot to turn the rant tag on for this one, but it really frustrates me that my own countrymen cannot grasp the fact that the government and big business are in bed together, but there is something that can be done about it. Get the crooked politicians out of Washington, get more involved in your local governments, and remember to vote with your own wallet when it comes to consumer products and services. Tax the hell out of companies for doing naughty things. Increase the tax a certain percentage everytime they get caught doing something naughty. Shut down companies that don't pay thier taxes. That way, even if they are successful at pushing a product, they still have to give a chunk of that money back to the people. Bad businesses would tend to just flop over and die sooner or later, or deal with having less cash flow. Either way, it'd make 'em more honest.
Yeah, but the idea is that if they didnn't exist, people's code wouldn't have to be as resilliant to attacks. It's the classic chicken or the egg story.
Ummm, no. Computer viruses will forever exist. The fact that viruses do exist means people's code DOES have to be resiliant to attacks. End of story. Its a little like saying that if there were no viruses, humans wouldn't die from HIV. No shit. Are you telling me that people shouldn't study HIV because it might infect someone? Guess what, it happens anyway. At least if someone's studying it, there's a chance a cure can be found.
Make sense? Now use the same analogy in the context of computers again. Thank you.
that even as I type this I am ripping a CD to MP3. Yes its my CD, I paid for it. Its starting to get pretty beat up, so I want an archivial copy of it before its totally unreadable. The RIAA seems to want to make me think this is illegal. The funny thing is that when I pay for a CD, I am paying for the content, which I have the right to do with however I see fit. The fact that I might do something with the content which breaks a law is completely irrelavant. In actuality, almost all the MP3's I've downloaded are tracks from CDs I've either lost, wrecked, or had stolen. I don't think thats wrong. Yes, I also download other tracks, but mostly this is to broaden my musical tastes, which leads to increased spending on these artists. I don't think any of my uses for MP3 and such are out of line. I don't think my usage hurts the RIAA (much to my chagrin). Anyway maybe my next machine will be a Gateway...
I only wish I could accept that as true. But, the sad fact is that the lobbists are in bed with the congressmen. Congressmen that dare to buck the corporations and do the right thing are liable to have Bad Things(TM) happen to them. Thats why our lawmakers are so corrupt. They either play the game, or they get taken out (in some regard). In this day it can be dangerous to truly represent the voice of the people, defying those with real power (read: lots of money). Everyone has a price that will corrupt them, its easy for a entity with lots and lots of money to spread corruption and ensure its own interests.
I would have more faith in the government if the current lobby setup was modified. There should be some restrictions on what kind of lobbying can be done. Perhaps lobbyist should lobby to the people instead of our representatives. We'll let the representitives know what we think of thier proposals, thank you very much.
Yes, I know the majority of the population lives in the metro area. How far can your town be from MSP and still be considered a suburb? I live 40 miles southeast of Minneapolis. The point I was trying to make is that nevertheless, Minnesota is primarily a rural state. There's a damn lot of farmland out here. Also, I thought the metro area population was something more like 1.5 million out of the state's 4 million residents, but thats probably from a census 10 or 20 years ago, so I'm not sure how accurate that figure is now. Of course if we didn't have such an expansive metro area, Minnesota may not be as tech-oriented, but we're not exactly living the Kansas life in the outstate either. Most of the small towns (read: population 500 - 4000) around here are very receptive to technology. Perhaps its different in other parts of the state, but lying between MSP and Rochester offers us a rather unique life here.
Also, I doubt that the mass of population in the metro is very indicative of anything in particular. The inner-city folk don't seem to be quite as receptive to tech as the folks out here (IMHO because they'd rather spend their money on drugs, but chalk that up to a few too many trips to the east side of St. Paul. Nasty). I think maybe the relaxed way of life out here in the sticks makes for more time to play with hi-tech stuff. In any case, its nice to see our Congress watching out for us.
As a resident and taxpayer of Minnesota, I am pleased. The funny thing about Minnesota is that even though the state is mostly rural, its pretty hip to the whole tech thing. Outside California or New York, Minnesota is one of your more tech-friendly states. The cool thing is that the Congress is also very aware what the tech industry is all about. Its nice to live in a state where you can be a programmer and still live out in God's Country ;-)
All gushing aside, I'm glad to see the Minnesotan Congress get something Good(TM) done (especially lately). I'm pretty sure Minnesota is also still suing Microsoft.
Also, in this week's Pioneer Press TECH section, we had such articles such as Linux's determined quest as a desktop os. That article talked about CodeWeavers (of WINE fame) and the work they've done to allow Linux users to decently manipulate MS Office documents. There was also a nice writeup about the plight of internet radio, and how the RIAA is assraping them.
Oh pish-posh! Let's see a show of hands, who here is between 18 and 46? Uh, huh. Mostly legal adults, I'd guess. The 'male, adolescent-minded geeky comminity' has no more a immature obsession with sex than any other demographic. You find this everywhere, not just in the geek subculture, as it were.
Besides, being a geek certainly has nothing to do with the fact that I often crack sexually-related jokes. I'd guess it has more to do with the fact that I'm a 20 year old male, and the testosterone still flows in full force.
I'd also like to point out that acknowledging and providing a reaction for this type of 'sexism' only compounds the percieved problem and contributes to a truly intimidating and hostile environment, for men and women alike.
When I am bullshitting with my buddies about my nympho ex-girlfriend and all the freaky shit she wanted to do, I sure as hell don't need anyone (male or female) telling me that I am offending them. If you don't like it, ignore it, or if you're up to the challenge, do one better than me.
Over-generalizing the 'geek community' is just as offensive as any sexist statement I could make. Most sexism is taken as such, but generalizations often get mistaken for truth.
So because the History channel has better info and research potential than FOX, we should subsidise cable to the home? Not a chance. Subsidised broadband for kids research? Sure, in the schools and libraries.
Not at all. I don't find much of TV very educational, not the same way the internet can be. Besides, I don't know about your local school district, but around here kids have to stay after school in order to get on the computer, because they are occupied all through the school day. I have a computer at home, and I would rather have my kids at home looking stuff up on the net than sitting at the school after hours to do so. I would also much rather that the gov't sponsor a fiber-to-the-curb deal rather then spending the same money on more school computers that will be obsolete in a few years.
I am a taxpayer too. I don't want to pay to have some moron abusing the pipe. Yet, realistically, we all end up paying for it now anyhow. My ISP's gotta pay for the bandwidth somehow, so I always remember to thank the lamers for the higher rate. (Yes, this actually happened at my ISP twice)
The whole idea is to have the local gov't subsidize the infrastructure (the fat pipes). So in this whole scenario of course companies aren't lining up at my door to feed pipe. Thats the the gov't is supposed to do. However, once the pipes are in place, I'll bet there will be plenty of companies lining up to provide the net access that runs through those pipes.
And yes, I really do want gov't supported net access. If the rumors about Echelon and/or Magic Lantern are true, then the gov't is surely already collecting info on me. If they're going to do it either way, then the gov't should be laying the pipe. I consider it a fair tradeoff. I don't do anything I'm not supposed to, so go ahead and collect meaningless information on me. Just gimme my fat pipe!
And on a personal note, YrWrstNtmr, its attitudes like yours that just bewilder me. Its the same people that don't want to contribute that complain about what a lousy job the gov't does. The gov't is supposed to act in the collective interest of the citizens (not just big taxpayers and campaign contributors) of the United States. Clearly much of the time they don't, but when I can see an opportunity for the gov't to actually do something good, I'm all for it. If it turned out to be a bad deal for the public, well, you only have to lay the pipe once. You can only really get screwed over once. As for my current ISP, I get screwed over on a continuous basis. Ditto for the few other available options in the area.
Why screw around with the dialups though? Heck, with the way things are going, you won't even see a working modem in 20 years. Why pay for an infrastructure thats already aging? Fiber is gonna be around for a long time, so it'd make more sense to invest in a infrastructure with fat pipes that will be worth something for awhile. If local governments chose to subsidize internet access, it'd be far cheaper in the long-run to lay the fiber now.
Besides, have you ever tried to download RedHat ISOs on a 56K dialup? Its all but impossible. Having a faster net connection would allow me to take advantage of benefits that already exist in society (free-software).
Besides, just because a dialup is a sufficient way to recieve information now doesn't mean it will be in the future. By the time my children get into school, I'd like them to be able to do some VALUABLE research on the internet. Fully interactive multimedia sites are more fun than reading text.
Completely ruined the spirit of the tale? I have to disagree. I hadn't read The Lord Of The Rings before I watched LOTR::FOTR. While its true that for the most part, I was confused as all hell, it did spark my curiosity enough to read the the trilogy. Just recently I finished The Silmarillion. Now in retrospect, I couldn't see how Jackson could have stayed any truer to some aspects of the story. "Oh but this is left out and what about this and that blah blah" you say? Hmm well some stuff did deserve to be left out. The whole Bombadil thing is only a side-venture and the rest of the story does not depend on it. As for other stuff that seems left out (like the reforging of Narsil), perhaps we'll get a flashback to that in LOTR::TTT. I guess that point could be said about anything that seems to be left out of LOTR::FOTR.
Anyway, all I am getting at is that the movie trilogy has not been fully revealed to us, so I'd save any critique about it (as in contrast to the book) until all three movies have been released. Also, LOTR::FOTR was interesting enough that I was compelled to read the whole book. Jackson must have gotten something right, because I have an urge to see the movie again.
Now what I think would be pretty badass would be a movie-translation of the Silmarillion. No offense to those cute hobbits, but the creation of Arda thru the end of the Second Age are more interesting to me. It'd be pretty badass to witness the Music of Ainur, the beauty of the Undying Lands, the creation and loss of the Silmarils (and Morgoth getting his ass kicked but good), and the rise and fall of Numenor. After all, The Silmarillion sets the stage for Lord Of The Rings. Any fan of Middle-Earth that hasn't read The Silmarillion should do so. Now if I could just become fluent in the high-elven tongue... hehe
Out of all the science-fiction in star trek, I would have never guessed that a COM badge would become science-fact.
Our privacy-hating government would love that. Screw putting all of a person's personal data on a card, just require the use of a COM badge that records your every move, word, which opens doors you are allowed access to, and it also acts as your car key. Whatta world...
Aside from possible applications, the technology itself is fascinating. Don't look at my pointy ears, buddy.
Actually, I disagree. I think it aughtta be federal law that ever computer operating system come with a copy of its source.
At this time I don't think people quite realize at what risk they put themselves at by using a closed-source OS. The OS is what makes the computer do stuff, and I want to be damned sure my computer is doing the stuff I want it to do, at the same time as disallowing stuff I don't want it to do. I don't think I have to clarify on that. I don't want hotfixes.
While the general populous has no direct need for the source code for an OS, bugfixes come alot sooner that way. Why shouldn't the source be included? I am sure these geniuses can figure out how to freely distribute source without hurting thier cash flow... Plus, it'd keep companies like M$ alot more honest. I'd like to see M$ get punished for what they've been convicted of, but I'd also like to see a piece of pro-consumer legislation out of the deal. The taxpayers could end up saving money, too.
Quoth Taco: "So this thing could transmit my entire mp3 collection in under a half second."
You know the first time I read that, I equated that Taco's mp3 collection is somewhere round 1 terabyte. Then I did the double-take! Aha!, - So of course his collection is nowhere near 1 TB, but thats how I read it.
Learning some marketing tactics from the big boys, eh?!
Just kidding..
You know, I thought exactly the opposite thing when I installed WinXP. I thought its default look/feel/whatever was extremely reminiscent of a certain few Linux (and other UNIX bretheren) Desktop Environments.
Now, regardless of who copied who, what difference does it make anyway? I _like_ the way KDE 2.2.2 looks and feels. Similarly, I like WinXP way more than its predecessors, much for the same reason. Well, that and XP doesn't crash quite so much.
As for IceWM, I've never much cared for it.
Lets not forget how many times MS has been caught ripping off other folks' ideas. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. If someone did come up with a totally different GUI style, the likelihood that its going to be accepted and used by everyone is pretty small. People don't like fooling around with stuff they are unfamiliar with when they are trying to get stuff done. Thats why I use WinXP and KDE 2.2.2. I am comfortable with the UI, and I can focus on getting things done, instead of fucking around for hours on end trying to figure out how to do x. Its for that reason that I've never really cared for Enlightenment, IceWM, or Gnome. (I only include Gnome here because its had a nasty history of throwing SegFaults for no apparent reason).
Back for a moment to how KDE3 seems such a blatant ripoff of 'Doze. Have you installed KDE3 and played around with it? Neither have I. It would make sense that KDE would most resemble Windows simply because it uses QT, which is also compatible with windows. Furthermore, if it is the aim for Linux to provide viable competition in the Desktop market, there needs to be a desktop environment that is just as pretty as windows, but is more stable. Damn, isn't that what KDE is? I would think that all Linux fans would appreciate something that contributes to the cause (dominance of Open Source/Free Software/etc), even if is not exactly their cup of tea.
What exactly is a legitimate Linux user, pray tell?
If the next version of KDE was to be name KDE XP, it'd probably be a pretty smart marketing strategy, assuming there are no legality issues with using the letters X and P consecutively.
Probably nothing. The water spinning in your toilet is a result of the Earth's rotation, not its magnetic field. Though if the magnetic field changes (poles shift), you could end up with slighly rustier toilet water.. hehe
First off, kudos to Congressman Boucher for doing the right thing. Thanx.
Second, I wonder how many people realize that our global civilization is at a turning point. Twenty years ago, the RIAA didn't worry as much about Fair Use (or otherwise). It was just too localized and distribution was nominal, compared to today's state. Now, we have a wired world. We live in a world where information is literally at your fingertips. We are a civilization that craves information, and sometimes even knowledge. Now, our natural human instict to learn and expand our minds has been severely limited by corporate interests, which concern themselves with monetary matters instead of academic ones. Perhaps we should have seen this coming. Some might argue we did. Our culture seems to be moving into a 1984-esque one. And now, we actually have to fight to do something that is human instinct. Its about as ridiculous as trying to legistlate sex. People will do it because they have an inherent desire to do so, regardless of the possible consequences. It would seem, then, that creating consequences to prevent this behavior is unproductive. If people are legally denied what they feel is necessary, they will rebel. Will the Information Age be followed by the Information Wars? No corporation would dare contribute to the onset of a very real political upheaval, but they will press thier luck and gouge for money as much as they can. Eventually, they could become less careful and more greedy (also inherent human trait), and inadvertantly spark such a rebellion.
That is why I support what Congressman Boucher is doing. The legislation bought by these corporations needs to be struck down before it spirals out of control. Remember, the price of Liberty is eternal vigilence.
I can create theft with a crowbar and some duct tape, whether or not the hardware store advertised this fact. Besides, 'Rip, Burn, and Mix' is perfectly legal. I have a tendency to be rough on CDs. Nor do I like all the songs on any given one. Its very nice to be able to create a mix copy of my favorites. Best of all, thats perfectly legal. I can do anything I want with a legally-purchased CD. I can use it for a coaster, I can use it as a frisbee, and I can use it damn near any way I choose, as long as it doesn't make me money. Its not like apple says 'Rip, Burn, and Mix (illegal music)' or anything. Sheesh, gimme a break.
Personally, I've been looking for some way to give back to slashdot, so this is quite fine by me. This kind of things happens eventually to any site that amasses a good-sized following. There just comes a point where moving to a subscription-based format is the only fair way to defray the costs of running the service. I think Taco and Hemos have come up with a rather decent way to address this issue. Its not like they are taking away something we used to get for free. (*ahem* say like Activestate did with Komodo)
;-)
For those who grumble that the editors might turn a profit, I ask only why they shouldn't. If their efforts are used daily by over 300,000 people, maybe they deserve something for thier trouble. I congratulate them on the ongoing success of slashdot, and I also commend them for trying to approach this issue in a mature and intelligent way.
On the other hand, now I finally have to get a paypal account