Agreed. However if you're not backing your data up, its obviously not important enough for you to consider loss due to theft, hardware failure, etc either.
Malware like Popureb overwrites the hard drive's master boot record (MBR), the first sector -- sector 0 -- where code is stored to bootstrap the operating system after the computer's BIOS does its start-up checks. Because it hides on the MBR, the rootkit is effectively invisible to both the operating system and security software.
When the fuck did AV software stop scanning the boot sector?
Any virus can potentially do anything to your machine, including system restore points. If the machine is owned, it is owned and everything on it should be considered as suspect.
Back in the day there were a couple of BIOS viruses, which were even worse.
The bazaar works well for programming. It works well for logical, scientific stuff - you can have an open-source telescope design, or an open-source car, or an open-source operating system. But it works less well for art stuff - I have yet to see an open-source novel, or open-source sculpture, or open-source opera. I've sort-of seen an open-source character, but that's about it.
It is even flawed for some programming tasks. I agree for some programming it is ideal, but in other areas (eg, UI design) where consistency counts, having a dictatorship with one clear vision of how the UI should work is better. Which is why we have the current state of the Unix desktop constantly playing catch-up in terms of consistency and ease of use.
Its also fairly cross platform, and actually available and reasonably well tested on said platforms.
As the above poster implied: Unless you are running into performance problems, use the most de-bugged, easy to use code you can. Maybe even prototype with SDL, then optimize the hot-spots that you find with your profiler?
There's no point optimizing the crap out of some function to save 15% of the cycles on it when it counts for 3% of your execution time, for example - saving 15% of 3% isn't worth your time.
... as an end user, i should care about a device that can only play 2d games, when i already have a smartphone capable of openGL, that I carry with me everywhere already?
Unless this offers something my smartphone doesn't (incredible battery life, better games, etc) there's no way it is going to end up being carried around with me. Which means its not going to work as a mobile gaming platform.
I like the prospect of an open gaming platform as much as the next guy, but unless you get a decent market onboard it is going nowhere.
Maybe for old companies who got on the mobile PDA bandwagon some time ago. We weren't big enough at the time (to justify the server license) and didn't have mobile coverage in a lot of places we worked, so we didn't bother.
5-6 years on, our standard became iPhone. The execs love them. Easy to use. Fairly easy to support. Can do other stuff. No third party shovelware required on the exchange box.
Interest from them in jumping ship to android? Interest in supporting android with the million different possible email clients, etc? Zero.
This is what some nerds don't get. I'm the same, thought not quite so blunt with it. But the point is the same. Outside of work, the last thing you want to be doing is... work. If your daily rate is $X per hr, double for outside of office hours penalty rate is appropriate.
Well then tell them that you would normally charge per hr, and its outside of work hours, so penalty rates would apply.
If they don't at least feel a little bit guilty and buy you a beer/vodka/whatever as thanks, then don't fix their shit again. You're "busy" (even if you're not), and have a life of your own that they are taking time from. The only reason/some/ geeks get roped into that crap for no return is because they're socially inept and are desperate for human contact. Which is a self fulfilling thing.
Don't be constantly available at no notice, it makes you look like a pushover.
Yes. Same here. Except I became a mac user in 2009 (after being a DOS/Windows user since 1989, and a Linux/BSD user since 1995).
KDE lost the plot after 3.5 (I actually preferred the 2.x series if I'm honest).
Gnome are trying to look like OS X, but thats all. They're missing what makes OS X actually work. What makes OS X pleasant to use is nothing to do with Aqua.
I still check out the Unix desktop on a regular basis, but there's still a long way for it to go.
Slashdot Mirror
Wait... wasn't that a bad idea? Or at least thats what the nerds were crying about back in 2005.
True. But thankfully these are few and far between these days.
Agreed. However if you're not backing your data up, its obviously not important enough for you to consider loss due to theft, hardware failure, etc either.
Its called a boot ROM. For all intents and purposes, with a boot ROM physical OS installs are no different from VM installs in your above scenario.
When the fuck did AV software stop scanning the boot sector?
The data is easily restored from your backup media. Oh what you weren't backing your shit up? Bad luck.
And that's regardless of OS. Any root-kitted linux box should be treated with exactly the same level of quarantine.
Any virus can potentially do anything to your machine, including system restore points. If the machine is owned, it is owned and everything on it should be considered as suspect.
Back in the day there were a couple of BIOS viruses, which were even worse.
Well sure, if you have a known good checksum for every file on your machine?
The only way a machine can be trusted after ANY infection is an OS reinstall.
Or as ripley said - nuke it from orbit, its the only way to be sure.
It is even flawed for some programming tasks. I agree for some programming it is ideal, but in other areas (eg, UI design) where consistency counts, having a dictatorship with one clear vision of how the UI should work is better. Which is why we have the current state of the Unix desktop constantly playing catch-up in terms of consistency and ease of use.
Its also fairly cross platform, and actually available and reasonably well tested on said platforms.
As the above poster implied: Unless you are running into performance problems, use the most de-bugged, easy to use code you can. Maybe even prototype with SDL, then optimize the hot-spots that you find with your profiler?
There's no point optimizing the crap out of some function to save 15% of the cycles on it when it counts for 3% of your execution time, for example - saving 15% of 3% isn't worth your time.
Unless this offers something my smartphone doesn't (incredible battery life, better games, etc) there's no way it is going to end up being carried around with me. Which means its not going to work as a mobile gaming platform.
I like the prospect of an open gaming platform as much as the next guy, but unless you get a decent market onboard it is going nowhere.
whoosh
Especially when it can also be wiped when the user reports their phone missing and you click "wipe device" in exchange.
Maybe for old companies who got on the mobile PDA bandwagon some time ago. We weren't big enough at the time (to justify the server license) and didn't have mobile coverage in a lot of places we worked, so we didn't bother.
5-6 years on, our standard became iPhone. The execs love them. Easy to use. Fairly easy to support. Can do other stuff. No third party shovelware required on the exchange box.
Interest from them in jumping ship to android? Interest in supporting android with the million different possible email clients, etc? Zero.
This is what some nerds don't get. I'm the same, thought not quite so blunt with it. But the point is the same. Outside of work, the last thing you want to be doing is... work. If your daily rate is $X per hr, double for outside of office hours penalty rate is appropriate.
Well then tell them that you would normally charge per hr, and its outside of work hours, so penalty rates would apply.
If they don't at least feel a little bit guilty and buy you a beer/vodka/whatever as thanks, then don't fix their shit again. You're "busy" (even if you're not), and have a life of your own that they are taking time from. The only reason /some/ geeks get roped into that crap for no return is because they're socially inept and are desperate for human contact. Which is a self fulfilling thing.
Don't be constantly available at no notice, it makes you look like a pushover.
Its easy, but it might hurt, and it might take a few decades to get back to your current level.
Cats kill rodents which ate grain
Education doesn't make you smart. It makes you better educated, but the drive and lateral thinking has very little to do with formal training.
Same. The OSX gui sucks in a lot of places if you ask me. But its the hardware and integration with stuff like automator that wins for me.
Yes. Same here. Except I became a mac user in 2009 (after being a DOS/Windows user since 1989, and a Linux/BSD user since 1995).
KDE lost the plot after 3.5 (I actually preferred the 2.x series if I'm honest).
Gnome are trying to look like OS X, but thats all. They're missing what makes OS X actually work. What makes OS X pleasant to use is nothing to do with Aqua.
I still check out the Unix desktop on a regular basis, but there's still a long way for it to go.
Actually, i've fixed one of our radius servers from Kazakhstan via remote desktop on my iPhone before.
Was it a pain in the arse to use? Sure, but it can be done, and if you don't happen to have a laptop on you, its a viable option.
Modern smartphones are useful as far more than mere toys.
Given that track record with KDE bugs/broken features as of late, leave my bootloader the fuck alone, thanks.