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User: wtfispcloadletter

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  1. Re:Right Now, In the U.S. Vista Cost You $349 on Lenovo Requires NDA For Windows License Refund · · Score: 1

    That's ~$160 more that it should be and Dell is making 100% pure profit on. Vista Ultimate OEM costs a consumer or ma-n-pa small time system builder (any of your local PC shops) $190
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=Vista+Ultimate+OEM&x=0&y=0

    Heck, you can buy the retail version for less than $350, it's $277.49 at Newegg:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116473

    Dell is making even more profit than that because they they get Windows OEM licenses for much cheaper, or at least they use to. I don't have it handy, but I saw a spreadsheet a few years ago showing they were paying about $50 USD per license for XP Pro. Now that I'm thinking about it, that might have actually been the Germany government or some town in Germany. Wish I had that handy right now. Either way, the larger the organization, the cheaper they get software licenses for. Oh, and that was when an OEM license of XP Pro cost the consumer about $150 USD.

    Vista Home Premium OEM is ~$110
    Vista Business OEM is ~$140
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=Vista+OEM&x=0&y=0

  2. Re:25 years is nothing on Digital Storage To Survive a 25-Year Dirt Nap? · · Score: 1

    I'd make my chances as best as possible. CD, DVD (they'll last longer than CD), HD (SATA and SAS), USB stick, CF and SD card and as one last precaution printed on archival media. Everything wrapped in hermetically sealed bags.

    Honestly, my biggest concern would be the welding of the box shut. Depending on how the box is configured, size, competency of the welder, etc, the inside of that box is going to very hot.

  3. 25 years is nothing on Digital Storage To Survive a 25-Year Dirt Nap? · · Score: 1

    You guys really think technology will change that much? USB interfaces will either still be around or at least some geek will have an old computer with USB lying around. 25 years is nothing. IDE has been around for 22 years and is now only getting scarce, but I can still get my hands on plenty of computers that have them.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Drive_Electronics
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk

    The 3-1/2" floppy has been around for 24 years. What the person is asking is easy. HD, CD, DVD, what ever, you'll be able to read it in 25 years. Well, I would stay away from IDE in favor of SATA. IDE may be hard to get your hands on in 10 years let alone something that works with it in 25. Now if they were shooting for 50 or 100 years, then we could put more than 30 seconds of thought into it.

  4. Re:confirmed on mac os x 10.5.4 on Adobe Flash Ads Launching Clipboard Hijack Attacks · · Score: 1

    In Windows I just had to put something else in the clipboard. Wrote some text, highlighted it, Ctrl+C, done.

  5. Re:It's very close. on Leaping the Uncanny Valley · · Score: 1

    eyes, cheeks, mouth all look fake. For the hands, I couldn't quite tell from that low-res video. From what I picked up, those are the parts they actually animated and rendered too, everything else was video captured.

    The eyes and eyelids are just way over animated, like any bad actor or any animator trying to show of their skills by showing what they can animate.

  6. Re:Embossing on Intel Releases USB 3.0 Controller Interface Spec · · Score: 1

    Looks like that's the way it's suppose to be, only engraved instead of embossed and the other side is optional to have the manufacturer's logo. Embossing would be raised, not recessed. Since reading your post I've looked at every USB connector I can find. I've gotten my hands on about 10 completely different USB cables. Not a single one of them follows what you claim. I finally decided to take a look at the specification.

    If you look at the USB 2.0 spec, http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/ (download the 9.8 MB zip file and open the "usb_20.pdf" file, then go to page 93 you'll see that both sides can be engraved, the top with the USB logo and optionally be embossed with a little nub while the bottom can be engraved with the manufacturer's logo.

    I haven't found a single connector with a nub on the top, which I think should have been made a requirement. Most of the connectors I've looked at are engraved as specified, however, some are embossed (raised lettering) like my Logitech USB cable and the the Apple ones are neither, they are just printed on (the blind could probably create a pretty big huff against Apple for inaccessibility if they wanted). The some have the USB logo engraved on both sides.

    Quote from page 93 of the spec:

    "The USB Icon is embossed, in a recessed area, on the topside of the USB plug. This provides easy user
    recognition and facilitates alignment during the mating process. The USB Icon and Manufacturerâ(TM)s logo
    should not project beyond the overmold surface. The USB Icon is required, while the Manufacturerâ(TM)s logo
    is recommended, for both Series âoeAâ and âoeBâ plug assemblies. The USB Icon is also located adjacent to
    each receptacle. Receptacles should be oriented to allow the Icon on the plug to be visible during the
    mating process. Figure 6-6 illustrates the typical plug orientation."

  7. Re:Compiz FTW on What Will Linux Be Capable Of, 3 Years Down the Road? · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yeah, but too many geeks say that "shiny" doesn't matter. It's "shiny" that sells. Sure looking back Windows 95 and 98 and even XP, aren't all that sexy, but compared to what was available at the time, their interfaces were cutting edge, sleek and sexy looking.

    More people are buying Mac purely because of how sexy it looks. It sure as hell ain't the price, it's purely because it looks cool.

  8. Re:How much more of this until browsers adapt? on Russia and Georgia Engaged In a Cyberwar · · Score: 1

    Why not just use different DNS servers that are not blocking said sites like the OpenDNS servers just for example. Yes, I know some people have other issues with OpenDNS' servers but it's just an example.

  9. Re:Scientific community? on The Flat Earthers Are Still With Us · · Score: 1

    I wish people would stop calling cretins who pretend to use science as scientists. It soils the good name of science!

    No kidding. I read a few posts on their forums. These guys are just utter morons. What's sad is that a few of them appear to be well educated. I can only think they aren't right in the head or they "believe" in flat Earth theory only as a means of some sort of debating challenge.

  10. Re:Just a thought... on IBM Exec Bemoans Lack of Industry-Specific Linux Apps · · Score: 1

    Not their accounting software. Their POS software is a solution, but it's more of just a glorified cash register. It doesn't look like it has any sort inventory management (no mention of purchase orders, receiving, stock levels, etc), I can't find in the manual any mention of reports to see what you sold and figure out what you need to stock, etc.

    In reality to get POS for the small, medium sized businesses on Linux someone is going to have to get their hands on and spend a lot of time with the likes of RetailStar, RetailEdge, QuickBooks POS, Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management software and see what these guys have to offer. They'll also need to spend a lot of time talking to businesses and see what they want and need.

    We currently use QuickBooks POS, I hate it. It's buggy and is missing features they say are difficult to implement, but I know would not be if their database and application were designed with some flexibility in mind. Seasonal based discounts/sales, etc. How hard is it to look at the system clock and go "hey, it's 12-1-2008, time for the December sale" and adjust prices when they are rung up automatically? It's not. The other logic would need to be to check if a customer already gets a discount, do they get a discount on top of that. Easy to implement, a simple option to say yes, no, or greater discount. I wish we would have gone with Microsoft's solution at the beginning, but switching now is too costly. MS would have had our money if they had a usable demo instead of a slide show presentation.

  11. Re:Just a thought... on IBM Exec Bemoans Lack of Industry-Specific Linux Apps · · Score: 1

    That's designed specifically for Restaurants. You didn't look at it, nor read my post.

    I, unlike everyone else who has given a similar answer, have actually looked at POS solutions for Linux. Not to mention I, unlike everyone else who has given a similar answer, am actually in need of POS software and know what to look for in terms of features and usability. Not just looked up a project name on SF or hit some website and said "see there you go".

    With viewtouch, 1) I can't even tell if it's still in development or even maintained. 2) It's for restaurants 3) it's not designed for retail stores 4) it doesn't have a robust accounting package and does not integrate with anything 5) where is the support community? 6) where I can download it from, at least a demo? 7) I even had a "hard" time finding contact info for the company. Even if a ran a restaurant I can guarantee this is not any software I'd be purchasing for it. If they can't make a user friendly site that has some support documents and a community forum, I won't be going with that software.

    That brings up another point. There is NO accounting software for Linux unless you look to the enterprise (minium entry into that realm $20k to $50k). No, GnuCash does not count for business accounting software. Home use, competing with MS Money or Quicken fine, but it's far from a QuickBooks replacement.

    I realize that I'm not getting modded above 1 for these posts because I'm bashing Linux on /., but this is the cold hard truth about Linux in businesses. It's makes great servers and can make decent workstations for some types of businesses who only need to do some word processing or work with spreadsheets, maybe even some customer relationship and sales stuff with something like SugarCRM, but anything more than that and it fails, miserably.

  12. Re:Just a thought... on IBM Exec Bemoans Lack of Industry-Specific Linux Apps · · Score: 1

    I realize it's bad form to reply to yourself, but I must've been confusing LemonPOS with another app. LemonPOS isn't web-based. The other POS I was thinking of appears to have gone the way of so many other open source apps, it's disappeared from the face of Google.

    I'll give LemonPOS a try so that I can answer questions about "POS on Linux" better when it comes up again on /. in another 3 or 4 years. I have no doubt it will still be in Beta if the developer working on is actually still working on it.

  13. Re:Just a thought... on IBM Exec Bemoans Lack of Industry-Specific Linux Apps · · Score: 2, Interesting

    No, there is not. I, unlike everyone else who has given a similar answer has actually looked. Not to mention I, unlike everyone else who has given a similar answer am actually in need of POS software and know what to look for in terms of features and usability. Not just looked up a project name on SF or hit some website and said "see there you go".

    The 2 Linux POS solutions I've seen that also happen to be open source and free, but are immature and in one case abandoned. Their user base of ZERO apparently couldn't keep it alive.

    I don't care if it's free, closed sourced, open sourced, etc. I would prefer open sourced and free as in speech, but still don't care if I have to pay $500-1000/per register. I'm looking for SOMETHING that is a POS solution for Linux that doesn't cost 10s of thousands of dollars. There isn't anything. The current "solutions" are either in alpha or pre-alpha stage and is a "web-based" solution which I don't care for when it needs to sit on a desktop and actually be functional or haven't been touched for years, BananaPOS. The only other "solutions" I've seen are to industry specific, like for the Restaurant industry. Actually solutions for the Restaurant industry are the ONLY other solutions I've seen.

    Unless you want to and can spend 10s of thousands of dollars there isn't a POS solution for Linux for a small retail store or small chain (less than 5) of retail stores. And when you get to that level of POS solution you get a single use register like what you see in any of your big chain stores like Target, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Fred Meyer, Costco, etc. Not something the small ma-n-pa is looking for as their lone workstation in the store needs to function not only as a POS, but also be able to get the accounting, email, word processing, flyer design, etc work done.

    I'd love for someone to prove me wrong. Hey, it looks like LemonPOS is in Beta now, but it's still only got one lone developer and is lacking in many features that even inexpensive POS solutions like RetailEdge has. I'll have to try out LemonPOS, but I'm not holding my breath, I really don't believe that a web-based app can be as functional for power users as a desktop based app. Sure, Gmail is close and has some nice shortcuts, but it's still not as feature full or flexible as a stand-alone email client sitting on a desktop.

  14. Re:Just a thought... on IBM Exec Bemoans Lack of Industry-Specific Linux Apps · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I realize IBM is a big company but some of those apps are not cheap to develop. Example, Autodesk invested 10's of millions of dollars in developing the core of Inventor, I'm not talking about all the UI, spit and polish, along with all the changes that have happened over the years.

    There are a lot of apps missing for Linux:

    Mid-range CAD (AutoCAD, Inventor, SolidWorks, etc)

    POS (Point of Sale) for the small/medium business. IBM does have Linux based POS solutions, however, they are exorbitantly expensive for small and medium sized businesses. For small, ma-n-pa type shops they want to have a "PC" that has POS software on it, but also word processing, spreadsheet, internet access, probably even accounting, etc. Not just a POS system and nothing else.

    These are just two really, really big examples I can think of.

  15. They'll be gone within 2 years on Cuil Proves the Bubble Is Back · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I've tried their "search" engine. I can get better and faster results from a printed telephone book. They may be made up of intelligent, educated people, but they need to get someone with brains on board to perform a complete rewrite of their search algorithms ASAP. I don't see their VC investors being too happy right now and in the near future they're going to be pissed.

    I'd like to see some stats to see if they are even getting any traffic now that people have seen how worthless their search results are.

  16. Re:encrypt your data or dont co-lo on Reasonable Expectation of Privacy From Web Hosts? · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Every colo I've seen in the US has a similar policy. In a colo situation it's your hardware in their facility. Some places have it setup so if a drive (or some other piece of hardware, RAM, power supply, etc) they can replace it for you, if you have a spare and you pay for that service. But other than that, they don't and can't (well not suppose to) touch your server.

    This guy was in a colo, but decided to move to a webhost. It's no longer his hardware, just his data. Even if he has a "dedicated server" plan it's still their hardware. If your site is causing performance problems on their network, they can and do look into things without ever asking for your permission. They probably won't even inform you unless they determine it is your site causing problems. Then most hosts will shut you down or disable the script/database causing the problem, THEN inform you of the problem.

  17. The other "admins" not worth their weight in dirt on Disgruntled Engineer Hijacks San Francisco's Computer System · · Score: 1

    There are 2 easy ways I can think of to recover at least someone's password.

    1) Backups

    2) Linux boot disk, reset the local admin password then use a couple tools available for free from Microsoft. See these articles for more info:
    Windows 2003 domain
    Windows 2000 domain

  18. Re:Another scam on There's a Sucker Converted Every Minute · · Score: 1

    Straight from Radio Shack's website:

    "Please note: Coupon can only be used in-store or through the toll-free number. Coupon cannot be redeemed on RadioShack.com."

    "2. Once you receive the coupon, purchase this converter box at your local RadioShack or call 1-877-RS-DTV-4U (1-877-773-8848) Mon-Fri 8a.m.-5p.m. (excluding holidays)."

    So yes, you are correct, you can't use it online, but you can call them at a toll free number.

    There is no excuse for not being able to use the coupon.

  19. Re:Another scam on There's a Sucker Converted Every Minute · · Score: 2, Informative

    Space punk is speaking out of his ass.

    The coupons last for 90 days

    You can get another one if you let it expire and only got 1 the first time around (you can get 2 per household)

    The coupon lists several places locally where you can get a converter box. My listed 8, 4 Radio Shacks, 2 Wal-Marts, Camping World and a local shop (and a partridge in a pear tree).

    I know for a fact Radio Shack and Wal-Mart have and have had them for awhile now.

    https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx

    Radio Shack also has a friendly page with info. They also have several models in stock online right now and did 4 months ago when I got my coupon.

  20. Re:This has been known for years on Wood Density May Explain Stradivarius Secret · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I personally know of a small growth of pine trees in Eastern Washington that have taken nearly 30 years to grow to a height of 15-20 feet. If these trees had gotten more than a few inches of water a year they'd probably 2 or 3 times that height.

    Apparently pine trees are considered fast growing trees and here's some info on what is considered, slow, medium and fast growing rates

    âoeThe designation slow means the plant grows 12â or less per year; medium refers to 13 to 24â of growth per year; and fast to 25â or greater.â

    So yeah, those trees I know of should be about 60' high by now.

  21. Re:Firefox 3.0 is crash happy on Mozilla Pitches Firefox 3.1 Alpha For July Release · · Score: 1

    Try using it without any add-ons. It's been rock solid here and I have 15 different add-ons installed with 40-50 different tabs open (I've been researching a few different topics and have had FF3 like this for a couple of weeks). There is still a memory leak or two, I suspect an add-on is causing the problem. If I leave the browser open with that many tabs memory usage still creeps up. Not nearly as fast as FF2, but after a few days of opening and closing other tabs and general browsing FF3 will be eating up 750MB to 1GB of memory. At which point I need to close it and restart it.

  22. Re:Retirement Gift on Gates' Last Day At Microsoft · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Without MS DOS and later Windows, the computer world of today would look very, very different. I seriously doubt we'd have advanced anywhere close to where we are today without Microsoft. Though we might have gone even further, who knows.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not an MS fan boy. But I have serious doubts that Linux would have ever been if Microsoft wasn't around. Would Linus have had the same exposure to computers? He might not have ever gotten that IBM PC, MINIX might have never been developed, hell the IBM PC might not have ever taken off.

    Without Microsoft we might just be seeing the start of the personal computer right now, or Apple with the MAC might have taken over. Without Microsoft, it would be a completely different landscape and nobody can know what it would have turned out like.

  23. Re:The end of ctrl+enter days? on ICANN Board Approves Wide Expansion of TLDs · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you enable browser.urlbar.autoFill (see about:config) then you just need to start typing and hit enter.

    For me to hit /. I just hit "s [enter]"

  24. Re:Certainly sounds fair... on Man Fired When Laptop Malware Downloaded Porn · · Score: 5, Informative

    Then there's projects like Unattended that work great and can have a laptop or workstation back up and running in a default state, with all programs and updates applied in 60-90 minutes.

    There is no excuse for giving someone a used laptop or workstation that hasn't been cleaned. We don't concern ourselves much with our workstations since they never leave our network, but any laptops get a thorough cleansing before being re-issued to someone else.

  25. Re:I get these all the time. on US Court Disconnects Canadian Domain Name Scammers · · Score: 1

    I've wondered the same thing. I have to keep reminding myself that most people are not technically competent. They've either had someone else register their domain for them or they did it following a bouncing ball and either don't have a clue or remember who their registrar is let alone what a registrar is.

    Heck, most people can't even tell you who their site is hosted with. All they can tell you is who does the updates or show you what buttons they push to update their site.

    This is why companies get bilked for all kinds of other tech related supplies and services. These small businesses don't have anyone on staff or that feel they can call to ask a simple 5 minute question.