If they have an old Windows box that keeps breaking and you want to get them onto something easier and more secure why not try Linux first? It's free. Download and burn the CD / DVD and try it. Many have live CDs so they can play with a few to see if Gnome / KDE / XFCE etc appeals more to them. When one is picked from the list, install it. Leave it a while.
If they are having problems, THEN spend the inflated price on a designer Mac. If they find it works fine, they have a free solution which is not locked into the vendor revenue stream. Would you get the same refund option is you bought a shiny new Windows or Mac PC?
Prepare a bash script with all the applications they use that don't come pre-installed with the distro you set them up with.
sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird gthumb....you get the idea. That way you can simply run that after the fresh install & update of the packages. It saves the phone call when they go to run a program they used to use and it's not there. The alternative is to show them how to use the package manager to fill those gaps themselves. Or for you to do it remotely for them.
You expect people to spend hours locking down something built to be insecure? If it was built to be secure you wouldn't need to do that. If it was built to be secure the revenue stream made from securing (or repairing, restoring or renewing) a Windows PC would dry up. The line that had me almost falling off my chair laughing was "you can write your own policies". Shouldn't that be done for you? The bottom line here, is that you're fighting against Microsoft's business model by spending hours reading and applying different fixes (not to mention the potential added expense of additional programs). Why?
Most modern Linux distros are much easier out of the box, especially those aimed at the Linux newbie who don't want to spend any time "fixing" the flaws; they just want to use their PC. Distros like Ubuntu / Mint / PCLinusOS / Mandriva are perfect for this. Not only are Linux boxes built with security in mind from the ground up, they are also easy to upgrade and use via a GUI (for most normal user tasks). Even on a distro which has problems upgrading like Fedora, simply backing up the users home folder (including the.files /.folders), wipe, reinstall, restore the backup and you're back to the same state with a fresh new installed OS. You're not gonna come close to that on Windows.
If you really want to take the hassle out of an already pretty solid Linux / UNIX setup, use rsync on their home folder to a spare USB hard drive, then reverse the source / destination on the restore leg after the fresh OS has been put on. If you don't like the scripted way of doing things (which I don't) try Grsync which gives a simple to use GUI for rsync, letting you tick everything you want, along with options for preserving permissions, ownership etc. It can be set to delete stuff on the target end that's not on the source end, so leaving an external USB drive at your parents for them to use once a month on their home folder is a dawdle. It'll never run out of space (assuming its the same size (or bigger) than their home folder.
Any time you need to reinstall the OS you have to do some post-install configuration. Chances are, most of the hardware will be found and installed without any hassle. A copy of the home folder will apply all the settings for all the packages meaning you only need set up the larger font sizes, block messages etc once. This leaves you with a minor hassle of fixing the odd piece of hardware Linux didn't find. Presumably if you set them up with Linux the first time round, then you're gonna be prepared with the solution to that; like the driver on a pendrive that you brought with you. With Linux you're less likely to have to reinstall the OS, since malware is not an issue. The only reason is a newer version of the distro has been released. More and more distros are getting the "upgrade" option to work more reliably. This will only improve.
As an added bonus, Linux is free. You can upgrade if or when you choose.....not when Microsoft decides it needs more money from you and forces your hand into your wallet.
They have people willing to pay a premium ON TOP of the price of the new OS so they can use the older model and don't have to switch. Says it all really.
Distros adapt the software for their own needs and shove it in their repos. If you stick to these versions, your package manager will keep track of the updates; the bottom line is that if the package manager installed it, it will keep track of it. Sometimes that will leave you behind the times in some software. OpenOffice 3.0 is not in all the repos yet, neither is Firefox 3. In those cases you can install it manually, but as you say, you'll have to keep track of the updates for it manually.
Some distros are better that others in keeping the latest versions. Distros aimed at businesses want stability, so they'll have rock solid older versions of software. Distros like Fedora are proud of being cutting edge, so they'll get the newer versions quick, they just may not work fully, or have quirky bugs yet to be ironed out. It comes down to whether you really need the latest version for some new feature.
Some software also provide repos for some distros. The latest Transmission in Ubuntu is 1.33 (I think). The current build is 1.40 which has the killer (for me) bandwidth scheduling addition. They have Ubuntu repos to add to Synaptic and install from. New updates come through with the rest now.
For most people, they will install only from their repos. It's always the first place I look when I hear of a new application that sounds interesting. Only if it's not there will I look elsewhere.
It'd be useful if Microsoft build a management system into Windows which did those functions as I do sometimes need to use it. They don't do too well on the common sense (from the customers viewpoint) front, so I don't hold much hope. They still don't have multiple desktops. When renaming a file it still thinks you want to rename the file extension. It's the little things that make all the difference.
There are proprietary software in the Linux repos, like Skype. These update just fine through the package managers. I did forget to mention in the original response, that only the software installed by the package manager will be updated by it. Windows does have it's "add / remove programs" but programs don't have to use it, many don't.....maybe because the developers don't know how, but more likely they don't want to give users an easy "uninstall" option after they've went to all the hassle of installing it without asking the user.
On the commercial revenue part....when a serious exploit appears in IE, Microsoft's advice is to "switch the security settings to a stronger setting, then update when the patch is ready". They have no desire to give their consumers proper advice like "switch to another browser until we fixed ours". They told the BBC that "other browsers would give a lesser browsing experience, and were not as secure as IE". Would the same advice be given from Mozilla or Opera? I suspect they'd think first of their users.
"Of course, Windows XP has shown that it handles netbooks with aplomb, and works with the web best of all, thanks to having all the browsers, plug-ins, downloads and more you could ever want, something you just can't claim with good old Linux."
Really??? You have to laugh really.
"As for Windows 7, Microsoft is specifically ensuring it will work on netbooks, and if it needs to sell the software at cheaper rates to compete with free Linux, it will do so - just as it has done with Windows XP today."
If XP works "with aplomb" why would there be any specific need to tweak Windows 7 for the purpose? Surely it's a case of "just keep swimming", since the path they'd be on would be the correct one.
The Windows update system only updates Windows, and it's components. The rest of your third party apps all have their own update apps, on their own schedules (or manually) which you have to remember to do. Some update on the fly, some give you notifications telling you to click to update, some don't even do that.
Linux (not just Ubuntu) have package managers (some better than others) which keep track of EVERYTHING on your system (core and third party alike), where you can update with four clicks of the mouse (I'm going by Synaptic but most are very similar in principle).
1 - Reload repo list 2 - Mark all updates 3 - Apply 4 - Confirm apply
Forgive me if I fall over laughing at the thought of Microsoft's update system "rivalling" with a *nix package manager. If that wasn't enough, they know which dependencies are no longer required because the application they came with has been removed; and can be removed themselves just as easy. They also know where on your menu list to put the shortcut "Internet / Browsers" etc and remove the shortcuts automatically when the application is removed.
We won't mention the fact that you need to reboot after almost every update in Windows, where in *nix a reboot is only needed if it's an update to the kernel or video drivers. This alone lets you use your PC (PERSONAL Computer) for the tasks you want.....and not be told to reboot when you're busy.
Even if Microsoft did adopt a sensible package managing system for it's long suffering users, nobody in their right minds would trust Microsoft's judgement on what a "critical" update should be, since they've abused it to get shit like the WGA on your system. I do have an XP partition because I do need the occasional 10 mins in Windows for a quick task, and the first thing I do after installing any Windows is turn off automatic updates. I always have them inform me, then let me choose what I want or don't want.
Microsoft, like any other corporation, have one goal....to make as much money as possible. This means revenue streams will ALWAYS be put ahead of the consumer when getting anything onto your PC. Look at all the crapware pre-installed when you buy a Windows PC. None of that is any use to the user, there are often freeware or better applications for the job.....yet they come pre-installed.
So how exactly does it rival *nix again? I've gotten back onto my chair, my fits of laughter have calmed to the point where I can read the screen again.
If your game disc gets scratched to the point where parts of the game are unplayable and you still want to play the game what do you do? Buy a new copy. Call me cynical, but I see a reason for Microsoft not to act.
Yet Microsoft not only manage to keep the 7 yr old model the same, but charge $150 IN ADDITION to the price of the new model. Logically, the older Windows OS should be on sale now, in the bargain bins, while the new shiny Vista has the full price tag. Would you expect Photoshop 6 or 7 to be more expensive than Photoshop 9? Trade in Halo for Halo 3 and get some money back too?
If Dell get away with this much of an increase, it emphasises how desperate people are to avoid Vista. It kinda flies in the face of the desperate Microsoft propaganda that Vista is the most popular Windows yet, and that people are loving it.
If XP was open source, Microsoft couldn't kill it off for the sake of forcing Vista sales. The project lives while there are people willing to work on it and use it. People are desperate to keep it, Microsoft's profits over-rule their users preferences.
As a Linux user I hope Dell triple the $150 surcharge, as the higher it is, in this climate.....the more will look to abandon Microsoft altogether; some will find their way to Linux, some to BSD and some to the Mac.
Microsoft have woken up to the threat of Google, and the fact that Google have caught Microsoft with their pants down on several new revenue models. They assume "if Google are doing it, then we need to". Every competing service they do, to try and take share away from Google fails. They want to buy Yahoo (or parts of it) to buy that marketshare where they failed to get it with their own services. They seem oblivious to the fact that their products and services have to be forced on people, that most people don't choose the Microsoft service when they do have a choice.
10 years on, and Google have a lot of data but are on the skids as a viable business. Imagine the US government offering to "help" by buying Google (and it's mountains of personal data) to "maintain stability". Imagine all Google's data being made available to every department of the US government for "national security" purposes; after all the war on terror will last a lifetime....right?
Many corporate events have happened which would have been unthinkable just a few years before the shit hit the fan. By the time it starts to crumble, people will start to wake up to the fact that Google knows a LOT more about them than they are comfy with.....specially if it can then be used by the government without any legal niceties like warrants, or even home / work / school visits.
I try to avoid Google as much as possible. I have done for a while, this story is just another reason not to change those habits.
They don't want to keep drugs out of prison, the more stoners there are walking about, the easier they are to be controlled and less likely to cause trouble. The less people they have all edgy because they can't get their heroin fix, the easier they are to control. Anytime an addict comes off their addiction they have withdrawals, which can show in many ways. It's one thing to be willing to stop, knowing the withdrawals are temporary until your body adjusts.....it's another to be forced off. It does sound like the Police want a simple "catch-a-crim.exe" program to run while they get on with searching our MP's offices for material likely to embarrass the Government.
Is it only me who can visualise a Microsoft lobbyist / sales-drone already selling them the (never gonna work) solution for millions of tax-payers pounds?
Why would you install it? We're assuming it's not on an old system still in use because it can't take XP, or your business can't justify the upgrade costs. Windows 98 is not supported anymore, so Microsoft have nobody patching the new holes, so that gets less secure by the day. Windows 2000 is next on the list to be abandoned. Would you install it now?
If Microsoft open sourced their older OS's the story would be different, but cutting off support is all part of the big stick prodding you to buy the new stuff. They don't sell all their supported versions of their software, if they did Vista would REALLY have bombed. If you're installing an OS, it's for one of two purposes...either to use (present to future) or to test (present). If it's for using you don't want to have to drop it when the support cuts off.
Having Windows 98 or 2000 to install on it assumes you have the CD's because you have no chance of buying them. As interesting (and flawed) as this article is, it'd be better to compare supported OS's you can actually download / buy. At least then it may have some merit.
Running an OS from a SSD is still relatively new, so this will get better. I can't see Apple doing much innovation here since they like charging a fortune for "return to base, non consumer replaceable, custom parts"; which would include a worn out SSD. It's in their financial interests to keep things wearing out. Microsoft got caught with their pants down on the whole netbooks phenomenon, just as they did with multi-user computing and the internet. I'd imagine Vista taught some lessons inside Microsoft (even if they try to keep the public "Vista is great" front) but they've long been riding the "just buy a new PC with another Windows licence when it's slow and worn down" train for a long time now; I can't see them wanting to step off it. They use new versions of Windows to let the OEMs sell new hardware.
Linux / BSD by comparison has always been about getting better performance, as much as doing stuff "because you can". With the code being open, there is no commercial vendor thinking ahead for hardware sales to steer the projects off. I see Linux / BSD being the logical innovators here. Having said that, as the recession gets worse both Apple and Microsoft know their customers will be tightening their belts so who knows? Free software will really bite into previously solid Microsoft territory as companies look for ways to cut costs and still compete. The recession may be the best thing to happen to Linux / BSD to help catapult the user base.
I wouldn't be surprised if the demo part of the site wasn't Slashdotted right now. I had no idea what to expect when I installed it as there are no screenshots (that I could find) on the site. I expected rough but functional.....but it stunned me. These guys deserve a lot of praise for OpenGoo.
I've only played with OpenGoo on my test server as a single user so far but it impressed me with the speed and ease of use. I expected a word processor through a browser to be slow but it's damn snappy. The presentation suite looks useful too. I did notice a lack of spreadsheet software in the suite (at least for now) but it has the advantage of being able to install on your own server, and therefor keeping Google's greasy paws out of your data. It seemed stable enough too, perhaps I was expecting an early beta project. I can see OpenGoo going from strength to strength as they get more recognition and users.
If the pre-recorded video looks like it's an active application running it will fool the uneducated; it's designed to. Your PC wasn't scanned as you know, it played a video making you think it was being scanned. The last thing they want is to go to the hassle of making it really scan and find nothing, therefor no way to scare you into buying their shit. They play the numbers and go for the easy mass target, they style their videos on Windows.
It's like playing a video demo of a game and handing a young kid the controller; tell him he's controlling what he sees and it'll keep him occupied for a while, until he clicks that he ain't.
We all want more "I'm Rich" apps for the iPhone don't we?..... At least that's the message I'm reading between the lines from these developers. Sarcasm
With lobbyists making sure the US military use Microsoft products "securing their networks" is not the description I'd give to it. The false sense of security you mention won't apply to China.
The Chinese have their own official Red Flag Linux which despite the suspicions of monitoring / back door access for Chinese officials to make sure it's users stick to the party line......it's still Linux. I know who I'd bet on in a security war.
It works fine, well I had to check to see what the fuss was about, expecting to be blocked but it appears Privoxy / Tor bypasses it. I'd never know I was blocked unless I was told so beforehand.
Ya gotta love the censoring of parts of the internet, it works perfect 100% of the time....or so the Aussie govt would like us to believe. LOLOL.
Regardless of the market/mindshare momentum of Microsoft, Apple & *nix, making cross platform apps really should be encouraged. There's nothing worse than apps not being cross platform, an underdeveloped / featureless version on some platforms, or something which looks like a drag queen in a beauty contest (QT only apps on Gnome/XFCE and GTK only apps on KDE).
I'm trying to find time to start to learn programming myself for at least small projects, so easy to learn and cross platform is a must.....for which all roads seem to lead to Python, and compiled with GTK / QT etc as required. That said, I've seen several people here mention that Python is not as quick for large apps, I've no idea so I'll assume that's the voices of experience talking.
They don't exactly make a song and dance about being able to block adverts in Opera do they? I didn't know about the block content function, I guess that means having to see stuff before it can be blocked. I had to search for a how-to on ad blocking and that urlfilter.ini was the only one I found.
Maybe a little redesign by the Opera people would get them more market share from people who won't surf without an ad-blocker. Perhaps calling it an ad-blocker would be a start, even though it can do more. As a new user looking for that type of option, having came from Firefox where it's added as an optional addon, the plugins for Opera are kinda laughable; and not any mention of an ad-blocker.
That cross platform guide is great, although the.Opera folder is all I needed personally and found it fine. Knowing you can right click and block content is also useful for the stuff the filer let's past. It'll be handy to be able to add Google to the list too.
I've liked Opera each time I tried it although the interface is different it's a damn good browser. The reason it never grabbed me was the lack of any useful (Chuck Norris trivia anyone???....I'm serious, they have one so I guess at least one person on the planet has a use for it) plugins, specially for blocking adverts. In the settings you can disable JavaScript etc but there's no way to block adverts. Well I found one....and it works.
The above link explains how to create a blank urlfilter.ini file in your Opera profile directory, copy and paste some urls to filter out and restart Opera. Every site I tried before and after, it was like surfing in Firefox with AdBlock.....bliss. I don't think it's perfect, it depends on the site and the type of advert but it's a damn good start. It's also easy to add a new line to the text file if you come across an adserver not on the list.
Having said all that, I'm still blown away by how fast Opera is, even WITH adverts. Being able to block them helps speed that up further. I've been a Firefox user for so long that I don't think I could switch but Opera is a damn good second browser for site testing.
I recently tried Epiphany with Webkit, it may be one to watch for the future but it's a bit early yet.
Slashdot Mirror
If they have an old Windows box that keeps breaking and you want to get them onto something easier and more secure why not try Linux first? It's free. Download and burn the CD / DVD and try it. Many have live CDs so they can play with a few to see if Gnome / KDE / XFCE etc appeals more to them. When one is picked from the list, install it. Leave it a while.
If they are having problems, THEN spend the inflated price on a designer Mac. If they find it works fine, they have a free solution which is not locked into the vendor revenue stream. Would you get the same refund option is you bought a shiny new Windows or Mac PC?
I forgot to add:
Prepare a bash script with all the applications they use that don't come pre-installed with the distro you set them up with.
sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird gthumb ....you get the idea. That way you can simply run that after the fresh install & update of the packages. It saves the phone call when they go to run a program they used to use and it's not there. The alternative is to show them how to use the package manager to fill those gaps themselves. Or for you to do it remotely for them.
You expect people to spend hours locking down something built to be insecure? If it was built to be secure you wouldn't need to do that. If it was built to be secure the revenue stream made from securing (or repairing, restoring or renewing) a Windows PC would dry up. The line that had me almost falling off my chair laughing was "you can write your own policies". Shouldn't that be done for you? The bottom line here, is that you're fighting against Microsoft's business model by spending hours reading and applying different fixes (not to mention the potential added expense of additional programs). Why?
Most modern Linux distros are much easier out of the box, especially those aimed at the Linux newbie who don't want to spend any time "fixing" the flaws; they just want to use their PC. Distros like Ubuntu / Mint / PCLinusOS / Mandriva are perfect for this. Not only are Linux boxes built with security in mind from the ground up, they are also easy to upgrade and use via a GUI (for most normal user tasks). Even on a distro which has problems upgrading like Fedora, simply backing up the users home folder (including the .files / .folders), wipe, reinstall, restore the backup and you're back to the same state with a fresh new installed OS. You're not gonna come close to that on Windows.
If you really want to take the hassle out of an already pretty solid Linux / UNIX setup, use rsync on their home folder to a spare USB hard drive, then reverse the source / destination on the restore leg after the fresh OS has been put on. If you don't like the scripted way of doing things (which I don't) try Grsync which gives a simple to use GUI for rsync, letting you tick everything you want, along with options for preserving permissions, ownership etc. It can be set to delete stuff on the target end that's not on the source end, so leaving an external USB drive at your parents for them to use once a month on their home folder is a dawdle. It'll never run out of space (assuming its the same size (or bigger) than their home folder.
Any time you need to reinstall the OS you have to do some post-install configuration. Chances are, most of the hardware will be found and installed without any hassle. A copy of the home folder will apply all the settings for all the packages meaning you only need set up the larger font sizes, block messages etc once. This leaves you with a minor hassle of fixing the odd piece of hardware Linux didn't find. Presumably if you set them up with Linux the first time round, then you're gonna be prepared with the solution to that; like the driver on a pendrive that you brought with you. With Linux you're less likely to have to reinstall the OS, since malware is not an issue. The only reason is a newer version of the distro has been released. More and more distros are getting the "upgrade" option to work more reliably. This will only improve.
As an added bonus, Linux is free. You can upgrade if or when you choose.....not when Microsoft decides it needs more money from you and forces your hand into your wallet.
They have people willing to pay a premium ON TOP of the price of the new OS so they can use the older model and don't have to switch. Says it all really.
You can block ads in Opera, they just don;t make it obvious like AdBlock in Firefox. Google for "opera urlfilter.ini" and you'll find a tutorial.
Distros adapt the software for their own needs and shove it in their repos. If you stick to these versions, your package manager will keep track of the updates; the bottom line is that if the package manager installed it, it will keep track of it. Sometimes that will leave you behind the times in some software. OpenOffice 3.0 is not in all the repos yet, neither is Firefox 3. In those cases you can install it manually, but as you say, you'll have to keep track of the updates for it manually.
Some distros are better that others in keeping the latest versions. Distros aimed at businesses want stability, so they'll have rock solid older versions of software. Distros like Fedora are proud of being cutting edge, so they'll get the newer versions quick, they just may not work fully, or have quirky bugs yet to be ironed out. It comes down to whether you really need the latest version for some new feature.
Some software also provide repos for some distros. The latest Transmission in Ubuntu is 1.33 (I think). The current build is 1.40 which has the killer (for me) bandwidth scheduling addition. They have Ubuntu repos to add to Synaptic and install from. New updates come through with the rest now.
For most people, they will install only from their repos. It's always the first place I look when I hear of a new application that sounds interesting. Only if it's not there will I look elsewhere.
It'd be useful if Microsoft build a management system into Windows which did those functions as I do sometimes need to use it. They don't do too well on the common sense (from the customers viewpoint) front, so I don't hold much hope. They still don't have multiple desktops. When renaming a file it still thinks you want to rename the file extension. It's the little things that make all the difference.
There are proprietary software in the Linux repos, like Skype. These update just fine through the package managers. I did forget to mention in the original response, that only the software installed by the package manager will be updated by it. Windows does have it's "add / remove programs" but programs don't have to use it, many don't.....maybe because the developers don't know how, but more likely they don't want to give users an easy "uninstall" option after they've went to all the hassle of installing it without asking the user.
On the commercial revenue part....when a serious exploit appears in IE, Microsoft's advice is to "switch the security settings to a stronger setting, then update when the patch is ready". They have no desire to give their consumers proper advice like "switch to another browser until we fixed ours". They told the BBC that "other browsers would give a lesser browsing experience, and were not as secure as IE". Would the same advice be given from Mozilla or Opera? I suspect they'd think first of their users.
"Of course, Windows XP has shown that it handles netbooks with aplomb, and works with the web best of all, thanks to having all the browsers, plug-ins, downloads and more you could ever want, something you just can't claim with good old Linux."
Really??? You have to laugh really.
"As for Windows 7, Microsoft is specifically ensuring it will work on netbooks, and if it needs to sell the software at cheaper rates to compete with free Linux, it will do so - just as it has done with Windows XP today."
If XP works "with aplomb" why would there be any specific need to tweak Windows 7 for the purpose? Surely it's a case of "just keep swimming", since the path they'd be on would be the correct one.
The Windows update system only updates Windows, and it's components. The rest of your third party apps all have their own update apps, on their own schedules (or manually) which you have to remember to do. Some update on the fly, some give you notifications telling you to click to update, some don't even do that.
Linux (not just Ubuntu) have package managers (some better than others) which keep track of EVERYTHING on your system (core and third party alike), where you can update with four clicks of the mouse (I'm going by Synaptic but most are very similar in principle).
1 - Reload repo list
2 - Mark all updates
3 - Apply
4 - Confirm apply
Forgive me if I fall over laughing at the thought of Microsoft's update system "rivalling" with a *nix package manager. If that wasn't enough, they know which dependencies are no longer required because the application they came with has been removed; and can be removed themselves just as easy. They also know where on your menu list to put the shortcut "Internet / Browsers" etc and remove the shortcuts automatically when the application is removed.
We won't mention the fact that you need to reboot after almost every update in Windows, where in *nix a reboot is only needed if it's an update to the kernel or video drivers. This alone lets you use your PC (PERSONAL Computer) for the tasks you want.....and not be told to reboot when you're busy.
Even if Microsoft did adopt a sensible package managing system for it's long suffering users, nobody in their right minds would trust Microsoft's judgement on what a "critical" update should be, since they've abused it to get shit like the WGA on your system. I do have an XP partition because I do need the occasional 10 mins in Windows for a quick task, and the first thing I do after installing any Windows is turn off automatic updates. I always have them inform me, then let me choose what I want or don't want.
Microsoft, like any other corporation, have one goal....to make as much money as possible. This means revenue streams will ALWAYS be put ahead of the consumer when getting anything onto your PC. Look at all the crapware pre-installed when you buy a Windows PC. None of that is any use to the user, there are often freeware or better applications for the job.....yet they come pre-installed.
So how exactly does it rival *nix again? I've gotten back onto my chair, my fits of laughter have calmed to the point where I can read the screen again.
If your game disc gets scratched to the point where parts of the game are unplayable and you still want to play the game what do you do? Buy a new copy. Call me cynical, but I see a reason for Microsoft not to act.
Yet Microsoft not only manage to keep the 7 yr old model the same, but charge $150 IN ADDITION to the price of the new model. Logically, the older Windows OS should be on sale now, in the bargain bins, while the new shiny Vista has the full price tag. Would you expect Photoshop 6 or 7 to be more expensive than Photoshop 9? Trade in Halo for Halo 3 and get some money back too?
If Dell get away with this much of an increase, it emphasises how desperate people are to avoid Vista. It kinda flies in the face of the desperate Microsoft propaganda that Vista is the most popular Windows yet, and that people are loving it.
If XP was open source, Microsoft couldn't kill it off for the sake of forcing Vista sales. The project lives while there are people willing to work on it and use it. People are desperate to keep it, Microsoft's profits over-rule their users preferences.
As a Linux user I hope Dell triple the $150 surcharge, as the higher it is, in this climate.....the more will look to abandon Microsoft altogether; some will find their way to Linux, some to BSD and some to the Mac.
Microsoft have woken up to the threat of Google, and the fact that Google have caught Microsoft with their pants down on several new revenue models. They assume "if Google are doing it, then we need to". Every competing service they do, to try and take share away from Google fails. They want to buy Yahoo (or parts of it) to buy that marketshare where they failed to get it with their own services. They seem oblivious to the fact that their products and services have to be forced on people, that most people don't choose the Microsoft service when they do have a choice.
10 years on, and Google have a lot of data but are on the skids as a viable business. Imagine the US government offering to "help" by buying Google (and it's mountains of personal data) to "maintain stability". Imagine all Google's data being made available to every department of the US government for "national security" purposes; after all the war on terror will last a lifetime....right?
Many corporate events have happened which would have been unthinkable just a few years before the shit hit the fan. By the time it starts to crumble, people will start to wake up to the fact that Google knows a LOT more about them than they are comfy with.....specially if it can then be used by the government without any legal niceties like warrants, or even home / work / school visits.
I try to avoid Google as much as possible. I have done for a while, this story is just another reason not to change those habits.
(-O-)
>-O-
They don't want to keep drugs out of prison, the more stoners there are walking about, the easier they are to be controlled and less likely to cause trouble. The less people they have all edgy because they can't get their heroin fix, the easier they are to control. Anytime an addict comes off their addiction they have withdrawals, which can show in many ways. It's one thing to be willing to stop, knowing the withdrawals are temporary until your body adjusts.....it's another to be forced off. It does sound like the Police want a simple "catch-a-crim.exe" program to run while they get on with searching our MP's offices for material likely to embarrass the Government.
Is it only me who can visualise a Microsoft lobbyist / sales-drone already selling them the (never gonna work) solution for millions of tax-payers pounds?
Why would you install it? We're assuming it's not on an old system still in use because it can't take XP, or your business can't justify the upgrade costs. Windows 98 is not supported anymore, so Microsoft have nobody patching the new holes, so that gets less secure by the day. Windows 2000 is next on the list to be abandoned. Would you install it now?
If Microsoft open sourced their older OS's the story would be different, but cutting off support is all part of the big stick prodding you to buy the new stuff. They don't sell all their supported versions of their software, if they did Vista would REALLY have bombed. If you're installing an OS, it's for one of two purposes...either to use (present to future) or to test (present). If it's for using you don't want to have to drop it when the support cuts off.
Having Windows 98 or 2000 to install on it assumes you have the CD's because you have no chance of buying them. As interesting (and flawed) as this article is, it'd be better to compare supported OS's you can actually download / buy. At least then it may have some merit.
Running an OS from a SSD is still relatively new, so this will get better. I can't see Apple doing much innovation here since they like charging a fortune for "return to base, non consumer replaceable, custom parts"; which would include a worn out SSD. It's in their financial interests to keep things wearing out. Microsoft got caught with their pants down on the whole netbooks phenomenon, just as they did with multi-user computing and the internet. I'd imagine Vista taught some lessons inside Microsoft (even if they try to keep the public "Vista is great" front) but they've long been riding the "just buy a new PC with another Windows licence when it's slow and worn down" train for a long time now; I can't see them wanting to step off it. They use new versions of Windows to let the OEMs sell new hardware.
Linux / BSD by comparison has always been about getting better performance, as much as doing stuff "because you can". With the code being open, there is no commercial vendor thinking ahead for hardware sales to steer the projects off. I see Linux / BSD being the logical innovators here. Having said that, as the recession gets worse both Apple and Microsoft know their customers will be tightening their belts so who knows? Free software will really bite into previously solid Microsoft territory as companies look for ways to cut costs and still compete. The recession may be the best thing to happen to Linux / BSD to help catapult the user base.
I wouldn't be surprised if the demo part of the site wasn't Slashdotted right now. I had no idea what to expect when I installed it as there are no screenshots (that I could find) on the site. I expected rough but functional.....but it stunned me. These guys deserve a lot of praise for OpenGoo.
I've only played with OpenGoo on my test server as a single user so far but it impressed me with the speed and ease of use. I expected a word processor through a browser to be slow but it's damn snappy. The presentation suite looks useful too. I did notice a lack of spreadsheet software in the suite (at least for now) but it has the advantage of being able to install on your own server, and therefor keeping Google's greasy paws out of your data. It seemed stable enough too, perhaps I was expecting an early beta project. I can see OpenGoo going from strength to strength as they get more recognition and users.
If the pre-recorded video looks like it's an active application running it will fool the uneducated; it's designed to. Your PC wasn't scanned as you know, it played a video making you think it was being scanned. The last thing they want is to go to the hassle of making it really scan and find nothing, therefor no way to scare you into buying their shit. They play the numbers and go for the easy mass target, they style their videos on Windows.
It's like playing a video demo of a game and handing a young kid the controller; tell him he's controlling what he sees and it'll keep him occupied for a while, until he clicks that he ain't.
We all want more "I'm Rich" apps for the iPhone don't we? ..... At least that's the message I'm reading between the lines from these developers. Sarcasm
With lobbyists making sure the US military use Microsoft products "securing their networks" is not the description I'd give to it. The false sense of security you mention won't apply to China.
The Chinese have their own official Red Flag Linux which despite the suspicions of monitoring / back door access for Chinese officials to make sure it's users stick to the party line......it's still Linux. I know who I'd bet on in a security war.
Is this an example of "winning the war" using the corporate strength of Redmond? http://blog.linuxtoday.com/blog/2008/12/trumpet-windows.html
It works fine, well I had to check to see what the fuss was about, expecting to be blocked but it appears Privoxy / Tor bypasses it. I'd never know I was blocked unless I was told so beforehand.
Ya gotta love the censoring of parts of the internet, it works perfect 100% of the time....or so the Aussie govt would like us to believe. LOLOL.
Regardless of the market/mindshare momentum of Microsoft, Apple & *nix, making cross platform apps really should be encouraged. There's nothing worse than apps not being cross platform, an underdeveloped / featureless version on some platforms, or something which looks like a drag queen in a beauty contest (QT only apps on Gnome/XFCE and GTK only apps on KDE).
I'm trying to find time to start to learn programming myself for at least small projects, so easy to learn and cross platform is a must.....for which all roads seem to lead to Python, and compiled with GTK / QT etc as required. That said, I've seen several people here mention that Python is not as quick for large apps, I've no idea so I'll assume that's the voices of experience talking.
They don't exactly make a song and dance about being able to block adverts in Opera do they? I didn't know about the block content function, I guess that means having to see stuff before it can be blocked. I had to search for a how-to on ad blocking and that urlfilter.ini was the only one I found.
Maybe a little redesign by the Opera people would get them more market share from people who won't surf without an ad-blocker. Perhaps calling it an ad-blocker would be a start, even though it can do more. As a new user looking for that type of option, having came from Firefox where it's added as an optional addon, the plugins for Opera are kinda laughable; and not any mention of an ad-blocker.
That cross platform guide is great, although the .Opera folder is all I needed personally and found it fine. Knowing you can right click and block content is also useful for the stuff the filer let's past. It'll be handy to be able to add Google to the list too.
This may be off-topic; if so....sorry.
I've liked Opera each time I tried it although the interface is different it's a damn good browser. The reason it never grabbed me was the lack of any useful (Chuck Norris trivia anyone???....I'm serious, they have one so I guess at least one person on the planet has a use for it) plugins, specially for blocking adverts. In the settings you can disable JavaScript etc but there's no way to block adverts. Well I found one....and it works.
http://my.opera.com/Tamil/blog/index.dml/tag/urlfilter.ini
The above link explains how to create a blank urlfilter.ini file in your Opera profile directory, copy and paste some urls to filter out and restart Opera. Every site I tried before and after, it was like surfing in Firefox with AdBlock.....bliss. I don't think it's perfect, it depends on the site and the type of advert but it's a damn good start. It's also easy to add a new line to the text file if you come across an adserver not on the list.
Having said all that, I'm still blown away by how fast Opera is, even WITH adverts. Being able to block them helps speed that up further. I've been a Firefox user for so long that I don't think I could switch but Opera is a damn good second browser for site testing.
I recently tried Epiphany with Webkit, it may be one to watch for the future but it's a bit early yet.