I'm not sure/. gets anything just for impressions (rather than clicks) but the ads don't really bother me, and as I don't donate and spend lots of time here, I haven't disabled them. My way of saying thanks...
Yes and no... Our company is in the very unenviable position of having only two digits inverted from the support desk of a MAJOR online retailer (not in the US). The worst part? The company in question is one of OUR oldest and dearest customers! People ring up, and are told, "sorry we can't help you". "So you have nothing to do with X". "Well, yes, but...". Then they go on for several minutes insisting that OUR service desk should help them get a replacement Y. And we can't even be rude to them!
Wow, you are being really fair there. MS is 36 yrs old, Apple is 35. Google is... 13. Pretty successful 13 yr old in my view. They also have a MUCH more reasonable business model than Facebook, at least in my view, at least for the meantime.
Actually asparagus is a tricky one - if anyone reads this at work then ask around: Some people smell it, some don't. I will probably get it mixed up but I believe it's a recessive gene thing./.!
Move to Europe.... No Software Patents here (yet) and the DVD's are made by companies outside the USA(tm) so no import problems
Wrong, software patents are being issued while "they" wait for the Poles to be caught napping and pass the legislation (they've been blocking it for a while). The rationale is that there is no harm in issuing patents because no one can sue unless they are eventually put into law. It is an absolute disgrace because if it IS brought into law, they will almost certainly try and make it retroactive.
Both my folks are using ubuntu on old laptops (an HP and a Dell, both installed with 0 hassles) and have been for a while now. Why? Well at the start they wanted vindoze (both licences somewhere in the void...) but I wasn't going to search the web for a crack for them, and they didn't want to pay. So I said "well, I can have a system (COMPLETE system, including office suite, etc.) up for you in an hour or so but you probably won't get any viruses with this system, so you have to be sure...". A while passed. My father happened upon an free Canon printer not long ago but after I couldn't get it working via ssh (12,000 kms or so of physical difference), he was happy to go out and buy an HP. He plugged it in and everything just worked. He just wanted a printer that worked with ubuntu.
I personally had some random bizarre hardware issue with ubuntu kernel patches (that etch doesn't suffer from) but for all non slashdot readers, it's got to be the current best choice.
Let's get real here - your government has been doing this (or trying to) for a very long time. The difference is that the UK is telling people about it, whereas in the US the don't have even to attempt to make it look like a proper democracy and say what they're doing.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not sure /. gets anything just for impressions (rather than clicks) but the ads don't really bother me, and as I don't donate and spend lots of time here, I haven't disabled them. My way of saying thanks...
Yes and no... Our company is in the very unenviable position of having only two digits inverted from the support desk of a MAJOR online retailer (not in the US). The worst part? The company in question is one of OUR oldest and dearest customers! People ring up, and are told, "sorry we can't help you". "So you have nothing to do with X". "Well, yes, but...". Then they go on for several minutes insisting that OUR service desk should help them get a replacement Y. And we can't even be rude to them!
http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/. Note that he says the tech will be open sourced - never did appear though...
Wow, you are being really fair there. MS is 36 yrs old, Apple is 35. Google is... 13. Pretty successful 13 yr old in my view. They also have a MUCH more reasonable business model than Facebook, at least in my view, at least for the meantime.
I bet there won't be many that get that one, cuzzy bro...
Actually asparagus is a tricky one - if anyone reads this at work then ask around: Some people smell it, some don't. I will probably get it mixed up but I believe it's a recessive gene thing. /.!
Move to Europe .... No Software Patents here (yet) and the DVD's are made by companies outside the USA(tm) so no import problems
Wrong, software patents are being issued while "they" wait for the Poles to be caught napping and pass the legislation (they've been blocking it for a while). The rationale is that there is no harm in issuing patents because no one can sue unless they are eventually put into law. It is an absolute disgrace because if it IS brought into law, they will almost certainly try and make it retroactive.
Both my folks are using ubuntu on old laptops (an HP and a Dell, both installed with 0 hassles) and have been for a while now. Why? Well at the start they wanted vindoze (both licences somewhere in the void...) but I wasn't going to search the web for a crack for them, and they didn't want to pay. So I said "well, I can have a system (COMPLETE system, including office suite, etc.) up for you in an hour or so but you probably won't get any viruses with this system, so you have to be sure...". A while passed. My father happened upon an free Canon printer not long ago but after I couldn't get it working via ssh (12,000 kms or so of physical difference), he was happy to go out and buy an HP. He plugged it in and everything just worked. He just wanted a printer that worked with ubuntu. I personally had some random bizarre hardware issue with ubuntu kernel patches (that etch doesn't suffer from) but for all non slashdot readers, it's got to be the current best choice.
Let's get real here - your government has been doing this (or trying to) for a very long time. The difference is that the UK is telling people about it, whereas in the US the don't have even to attempt to make it look like a proper democracy and say what they're doing.