What you consider to be Unix is most likely actually Linux. In reality, Mac OS X is a lot closer to Unix than Linux is, as OS X is indeed certified Unix while Linux is considered a clone of Unix. That's not necessarily a bad thing for Linux because I believe that the differences between Linux and normal Unix usually add value to Linux (software incompatibilities notwithstanding), but it is a bad thing for you because it means you don't really know what you're talking about.
Unfortunately, everything you wrote is just a distraction from the issue and doesn't really contribute anything. Tim Geitner withheld $35,000 in taxes even when he was audited by the IRS and knew fully well his tax obligations. He only completely paid his obligations after the President expressed interest in nominating him for the cabinet position he now holds. The difficulty of public images to stay compliant has nothing to do with the Secretary of Treasury who is undoubtedly a tax cheat; it's just a red herring. Looks like you might also want to spend some time enlightening yourself...
Aryabhata writes in with news that should chill the hearts of... tax cheats everywhere..
Well, if cheating on taxes becomes less profitable, they may have a bright future in politics. I know someone who can get them high positions in the US government...
The perceived value is obviously determined on an individual basis. To your point, if Mr. Super Ears can hear a difference and cares enough, let him go out and buy Super Speakers. The rest of us will conserve our money on speakers and use our savings for other things that we value.
This may not apply to you, but most of us don't use our mobile computing devices to simulate weather patterns or crack encryption algorithms. We have beefy desktop or server machines for that, and if we need that power while out and about, we can always just ssh or remote to the powerful machine. Otherwise, a netbook is perfectly capable of everyday tasks with the added benefits of increased mobility and better battery life (i.e. the new eeepc 1000he can get 7-8 hours realistically). As a developer, a netbook isn't my primary machine, but it's perfect for my mobility needs. I'd expect it would be an equally good mobile device for a network admin or student.
You may not be in that target market, but at least now you know who they are. For many (most?) of us, the extra computing power of traditional laptops goes grossly underutilized, so why buy more than you need and get a less mobile computer in return?
Don't forget the sticky bit! Much as one might like to, let's not forget that the "simple Unix permissions" included one Hell of an egregious security flaw.
Do you mean the setuid (S_ISUID) bit? That's different from the sticky bit (S_ISVTX). Whether or not setuid is a "security flaw" is debatable. A setuid binary can be used in controlled ways to grant privileges they need without giving them more privileges than they need, which would be a bigger security flaw. The security implications of setuid are generally very understood today, although I would only trust a very knowledgeable coder to write a program meant to be run setuid-root. It's not hard, but you have to know what you're doing. I wouldn't say that makes setuid "one hell of an egregious security flaw" any more than the C programming language is... although maybe you would argue that C is a security flaw. I say they're both tools which are only as flawed as the programmers who use them.
I recently abandoned my Palm OS device for a new phone, and one requirement was that it be able to run Android (there are no native Android devices in Canada yet). I'm hoping it's not too late in the race to stop the iPhone doing to the mobile market what Wintel did to the PC market.
There doesn't seem like much chance of that. The mobile market is already quite established, and Apple only has modestly good sales.
Actually, there is a way to make everybody happy. It's not like the problem UAC is trying to solve hasn't already been solved and implemented in other operating systems. Look at Mac OS X and some desktop environments available for Linux/BSD/etc. It will ask you for the administrator password when it needs the permissions.
The problem with Vista UAC is that it pops up for actions which shouldn't require administrator privileges. The problem with this Windows 7 rundll hole is just that: it's a security hole, granting regular users elevated privileges without authentication. The source of this problem may very well be that a whitelist is actually just a very bad idea, since a flaw in any whitelisted code might be able to give you elevated privileges.
However, I believe that to the extent that Microsoft is fixing UAC to only come up when actually needed and not actually implementing new security holes, they are on the right track.
No Script is about MY having the choice of whether to run an arbitrary program on MY computer.
Yeah, an "arbitrary program" that is already sandboxed by the browser anyway. The worst it could do is use up some system resources, but if you're using your machine to browse the internet, you probably have a few resources to spare anyway. The problem some people have is that they use NoScript for security reasons. Those people need to learn to chill and trust their browser sandbox.
I'm not making fun of you; I completely accept that there exists a type of people who really like NoScript, and that's fine with me. I think my solution is easier, though: If I go to a site that I don't like, I don't go back. There, problem solved. If I run into a site with an annoying, resource-hogging script, it'll steal about one or two seconds worth of my system resources, then I'm gone and I won't even lose sleep over it. If I go to a site with useful scripts, everything works already and I don't have to waste my time managing a whitelist.
I believe you are correct. Every time I track down a performance issue on Linux in a multi-platform GUI program, it always goes all the way back to X11 itself.
And the point of your parent flew right over your head. He didn't say we need to fall in love with Microsoft but rather that we ought to extend our praise and criticism with some sort of sane rational. So you like Mozilla compared to Microsoft. Good for you. So do I. That doesn't mean that I want to be propagandized to.
Would you like to cite some of these "independent" tests? My own usage patterns indicate that FF3 is still quite leaky. Five plug-ins (no Flash), only a couple of tabs open ever; at the end of the day it's at 33% of 2Gb and climbing.
That doesn't explain the incorrect usage of "DRM" that the GP pointed out, that of Mac OS X being "tied to *drm-filled hardware." In actuality, Apple's hardware seems to be quite generic. Whether or not Mac OS X itself employs DRM to tie itself to the hardware is a different matter.
There is a "Don't steal Mac OS X" module included with the OS that would seem to be directed at preventing piracy, but in reality, using OS X on non-Apple hardware isn't much more difficult than finding the right drivers for your hardware, if they exist. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a lot that Apple is actually doing from really preventing OS X from being used on generic hardware, except they are obviously under no obligation to offer support when stuff doesn't work or an OS update causes problems.
In any case, this is a far cry from "DRM" in my mind.
* You could argue that the HDMI interface uses DRM, and that's true. However, in this case, it only exists to enable HDMI features that would otherwise not be possible, and it in no way disables or limits any functionality of the computer.
Interesting idea. Unfortunately, Linux doesn't have the monopoly on "geeky" by any means. Mac OS X can be a very geeky OS. And there are a lot of geeks with rich parents, too. Compound that with the high usability of OS X, and it's no wonder that 1/3 college students seem to have a MacBook these days.
Microsoft may fear Linux internationally and in the server room, but they would also be wise to fear Apple on the desktop.
That said, I find it rather pointless to discuss who should be feared more by Microsoft. Apple obviously has some good offerings, and Linux definitely has its place and will not go away. Consider also the iPhone and Android platforms which are decidedly not Microsoft but also very good, and we see that Microsoft has a lot to worry about, on all fronts.
That falling leaves animation causes Midori to use 100% of one of my Q6600 cores and still only gets around 2fps. Even if a new WebKit and better Javascript engine could improve that dramatically, sometimes I still wonder if we're not progressing backwards...
Perhaps falling leaves isn't so practical, but it's still just a silly animation. Web apps of today require 20x the resources and are still not nearly as capable as solutions we've had all along. Even more amusing is the fact that web development isn't even considerably easier than traditional development when you consider the compatibility kludges and forced client-server model you have to adhere to. At least it's easy to distribute, right?
Okay I'm done with this rant. Wow that felt good. I don't rant nearly enough.
The screenshots make it look very similar to iTunes, but presumably Safari is pretty fast. What they need to do is find a way to make iTunes not run like a pregnant cow...
Apple loves to put in meaningless benchmarks with no real-world meaning to hype their products.
This applies to all companies in all markets. Such is the nature of advertising. Do you think the FTC will ever waste their resources investigating the correctness of a claim like this?
Almost all companies (pharmaceuticals and the like excepted) make equally absurd claims in their advertising, because they can. You probably notice Apple's outrageous claims more than others because presumably you understand something about benchmarking and what's really happening a lot better than someone who isn't so involved with computers. However, I'd bet you are affected by other forms of misleading advertising regularly, in areas where you are not so informed.
Actually, I think the only Linux users who are irked by Ubuntu's popularity are probably younger people who think they're 133t by using something more difficult. Those of us who are "old" (is 23 old?) are more likely to be uninterested in Ubuntu only because we already know our own distros and the workings of a Unix system in general. Most of us oldies are too chill to waste time talking down Ubuntu. Look to your own peers for irrational Ubuntu-bashing.
Slashdot Mirror
Cool, let me try.
When the economy is fixed, we promise to stop strapping our grandchildren with debt they will have no hope of paying off.
This is fun.
What I find really weird is that on Windows, the default paper size is always "letter", when most people use A4.
Not in the U.S.
What you consider to be Unix is most likely actually Linux. In reality, Mac OS X is a lot closer to Unix than Linux is, as OS X is indeed certified Unix while Linux is considered a clone of Unix. That's not necessarily a bad thing for Linux because I believe that the differences between Linux and normal Unix usually add value to Linux (software incompatibilities notwithstanding), but it is a bad thing for you because it means you don't really know what you're talking about.
Unfortunately, everything you wrote is just a distraction from the issue and doesn't really contribute anything. Tim Geitner withheld $35,000 in taxes even when he was audited by the IRS and knew fully well his tax obligations. He only completely paid his obligations after the President expressed interest in nominating him for the cabinet position he now holds. The difficulty of public images to stay compliant has nothing to do with the Secretary of Treasury who is undoubtedly a tax cheat; it's just a red herring. Looks like you might also want to spend some time enlightening yourself...
Aryabhata writes in with news that should chill the hearts of... tax cheats everywhere..
Well, if cheating on taxes becomes less profitable, they may have a bright future in politics.
I know someone who can get them high positions in the US government...
The perceived value is obviously determined on an individual basis. To your point, if Mr. Super Ears can hear a difference and cares enough, let him go out and buy Super Speakers. The rest of us will conserve our money on speakers and use our savings for other things that we value.
This may not apply to you, but most of us don't use our mobile computing devices to simulate weather patterns or crack encryption algorithms. We have beefy desktop or server machines for that, and if we need that power while out and about, we can always just ssh or remote to the powerful machine. Otherwise, a netbook is perfectly capable of everyday tasks with the added benefits of increased mobility and better battery life (i.e. the new eeepc 1000he can get 7-8 hours realistically). As a developer, a netbook isn't my primary machine, but it's perfect for my mobility needs. I'd expect it would be an equally good mobile device for a network admin or student.
You may not be in that target market, but at least now you know who they are. For many (most?) of us, the extra computing power of traditional laptops goes grossly underutilized, so why buy more than you need and get a less mobile computer in return?
Don't forget the sticky bit! Much as one might like to, let's not forget that the "simple Unix permissions" included one Hell of an egregious security flaw.
Do you mean the setuid (S_ISUID) bit? That's different from the sticky bit (S_ISVTX). Whether or not setuid is a "security flaw" is debatable. A setuid binary can be used in controlled ways to grant privileges they need without giving them more privileges than they need, which would be a bigger security flaw. The security implications of setuid are generally very understood today, although I would only trust a very knowledgeable coder to write a program meant to be run setuid-root. It's not hard, but you have to know what you're doing. I wouldn't say that makes setuid "one hell of an egregious security flaw" any more than the C programming language is... although maybe you would argue that C is a security flaw. I say they're both tools which are only as flawed as the programmers who use them.
I think you may need to fine-tune your exaggeration-detection algorithms.
why? when you bought the phone should Apple care whether or not you use Safari or Opera Mini to browse the web???
Err, there are several browsers available on the appstore... I guess they don't care as much as you seem to think.
I recently abandoned my Palm OS device for a new phone, and one requirement was that it be able to run Android (there are no native Android devices in Canada yet). I'm hoping it's not too late in the race to stop the iPhone doing to the mobile market what Wintel did to the PC market.
There doesn't seem like much chance of that. The mobile market is already quite established, and Apple only has modestly good sales.
Actually, there is a way to make everybody happy. It's not like the problem UAC is trying to solve hasn't already been solved and implemented in other operating systems. Look at Mac OS X and some desktop environments available for Linux/BSD/etc. It will ask you for the administrator password when it needs the permissions.
The problem with Vista UAC is that it pops up for actions which shouldn't require administrator privileges. The problem with this Windows 7 rundll hole is just that: it's a security hole, granting regular users elevated privileges without authentication. The source of this problem may very well be that a whitelist is actually just a very bad idea, since a flaw in any whitelisted code might be able to give you elevated privileges.
However, I believe that to the extent that Microsoft is fixing UAC to only come up when actually needed and not actually implementing new security holes, they are on the right track.
No Script is about MY having the choice of whether to run an arbitrary program on MY computer.
Yeah, an "arbitrary program" that is already sandboxed by the browser anyway. The worst it could do is use up some system resources, but if you're using your machine to browse the internet, you probably have a few resources to spare anyway. The problem some people have is that they use NoScript for security reasons. Those people need to learn to chill and trust their browser sandbox.
I'm not making fun of you; I completely accept that there exists a type of people who really like NoScript, and that's fine with me. I think my solution is easier, though: If I go to a site that I don't like, I don't go back. There, problem solved. If I run into a site with an annoying, resource-hogging script, it'll steal about one or two seconds worth of my system resources, then I'm gone and I won't even lose sleep over it. If I go to a site with useful scripts, everything works already and I don't have to waste my time managing a whitelist.
I believe you are correct. Every time I track down a performance issue on Linux in a multi-platform GUI program, it always goes all the way back to X11 itself.
And the point of your parent flew right over your head. He didn't say we need to fall in love with Microsoft but rather that we ought to extend our praise and criticism with some sort of sane rational. So you like Mozilla compared to Microsoft. Good for you. So do I. That doesn't mean that I want to be propagandized to.
Would you like to cite some of these "independent" tests? My own usage patterns indicate that FF3 is still quite leaky. Five plug-ins (no Flash), only a couple of tabs open ever; at the end of the day it's at 33% of 2Gb and climbing.
That doesn't explain the incorrect usage of "DRM" that the GP pointed out, that of Mac OS X being "tied to *drm-filled hardware." In actuality, Apple's hardware seems to be quite generic. Whether or not Mac OS X itself employs DRM to tie itself to the hardware is a different matter.
There is a "Don't steal Mac OS X" module included with the OS that would seem to be directed at preventing piracy, but in reality, using OS X on non-Apple hardware isn't much more difficult than finding the right drivers for your hardware, if they exist. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a lot that Apple is actually doing from really preventing OS X from being used on generic hardware, except they are obviously under no obligation to offer support when stuff doesn't work or an OS update causes problems.
In any case, this is a far cry from "DRM" in my mind.
* You could argue that the HDMI interface uses DRM, and that's true. However, in this case, it only exists to enable HDMI features that would otherwise not be possible, and it in no way disables or limits any functionality of the computer.
Interesting idea. Unfortunately, Linux doesn't have the monopoly on "geeky" by any means. Mac OS X can be a very geeky OS. And there are a lot of geeks with rich parents, too. Compound that with the high usability of OS X, and it's no wonder that 1/3 college students seem to have a MacBook these days.
Microsoft may fear Linux internationally and in the server room, but they would also be wise to fear Apple on the desktop.
That said, I find it rather pointless to discuss who should be feared more by Microsoft. Apple obviously has some good offerings, and Linux definitely has its place and will not go away. Consider also the iPhone and Android platforms which are decidedly not Microsoft but also very good, and we see that Microsoft has a lot to worry about, on all fronts.
Don't know what to tell you, buddy. Plays fine for me using Flash in Firefox. x86_64, even.
That falling leaves animation causes Midori to use 100% of one of my Q6600 cores and still only gets around 2fps. Even if a new WebKit and better Javascript engine could improve that dramatically, sometimes I still wonder if we're not progressing backwards...
Perhaps falling leaves isn't so practical, but it's still just a silly animation. Web apps of today require 20x the resources and are still not nearly as capable as solutions we've had all along. Even more amusing is the fact that web development isn't even considerably easier than traditional development when you consider the compatibility kludges and forced client-server model you have to adhere to. At least it's easy to distribute, right?
Okay I'm done with this rant. Wow that felt good. I don't rant nearly enough.
http://www.apple.com/safari/features.html
Scriptable plug-ins is listed as a feature.
The screenshots make it look very similar to iTunes, but presumably Safari is pretty fast. What they need to do is find a way to make iTunes not run like a pregnant cow...
Apple loves to put in meaningless benchmarks with no real-world meaning to hype their products.
This applies to all companies in all markets. Such is the nature of advertising. Do you think the FTC will ever waste their resources investigating the correctness of a claim like this?
Almost all companies (pharmaceuticals and the like excepted) make equally absurd claims in their advertising, because they can. You probably notice Apple's outrageous claims more than others because presumably you understand something about benchmarking and what's really happening a lot better than someone who isn't so involved with computers. However, I'd bet you are affected by other forms of misleading advertising regularly, in areas where you are not so informed.
Should be up to the OEMs...
Actually, I think the only Linux users who are irked by Ubuntu's popularity are probably younger people who think they're 133t by using something more difficult. Those of us who are "old" (is 23 old?) are more likely to be uninterested in Ubuntu only because we already know our own distros and the workings of a Unix system in general. Most of us oldies are too chill to waste time talking down Ubuntu. Look to your own peers for irrational Ubuntu-bashing.