Sure, we've all seen the quickies, Mr. orb. It's one thing to mess with a CPU if you have more than one box, but being a student, my money situation is rather tight, and I've only got one box to mess with. I worked all summer, sweeping up radioactive waste and pulling cables at $7.50 an hour (I'm really not kidding), so the computer that I built is a substantial investment. If I break it (more severely than I have already) then I'll have the pleasure of doing my CS homework in a public lab that is a good 25 minute walk from here...
You really do not need to freak out about AOL destroying the world or even squelching free speech. News media have always presented biased stories. AOL may supress the free speech of some people for a little while, but the average non-AOL user should have nothing to worry about. Also, three major things have happened in the last few days: AOL and WB stocks took hits, IBM decided to support Linux for their products, and SUN made a deal with a UK company to sell them $500,000,000 in wireless tech. It all evens out, so don't get your pocket protectors all rumpled about it. - crazy_swimmer
Re:Just say no to anti-trust
on
AOL Nation
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· Score: 1
A lot of people are OVER-reacting about this AOL/Time Warner merger. Big companies really are not as bad as they are often made out to be. One of the earlier posts mentioned Standard Oil controlling the US. Maybe true, but they were also one of the first American companies to promote R&D. Could that be a terrible thing? Consider TI and HP. They dominate the pocket calculator market, but they also made pocket calculators affordable for the average person, not just the scientist or engineer. Apple deserves props! Their innovation made desktop computers practical for the common man. They dominated the market for a while, but are no longer a threat that people worry about. By inventing technology that made computers accesable to everyone, they not only helped the average goof who needs a Mac, but also the more sophisticated user who benefits from competition, innovation, etc. People bash Microsoft all the time, but does MS ever get credit for the good that they have done? GUIs (Windows, Win95/98/NT, etc.) led to a tremendous boost in the home computer industry. They helped to make home/desktop computers practical for the masses, and affordable for all of us/. users. Look at IE, Word, and Excel. Everyone has heard of them, as they are what made computing what it is today. If it were not for the work of Apple and Microsoft, most computer users would have to log in to mainframes from dumb terminals, using something like UNIX. Nobody would have a home computer. As for AOL, they may have cluttered some of the net with dial-up dolts, but the masses of AOL users has led to great improvements in network technology. We probably wouldn't have broadband tech if there weren't a need. AOL helped to supply the need. Anyway, I've rambled enough now, but on a positive note: If I ever hear of AOL trying any mass mind control b.s., I will personally form an underground group of/. resistance fighters. We will dress up in armor made of duct tape and cat5 cable, and ride around on bicycles throwing sharpened AOL cds at anyone who would try to subjugate the innocent masses.
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You've got an official voting station in your shower? I want one there... ;)
Sure, we've all seen the quickies, Mr. orb. It's one thing to mess with a CPU if you have more than one box, but being a student, my money situation is rather tight, and I've only got one box to mess with. I worked all summer, sweeping up radioactive waste and pulling cables at $7.50 an hour (I'm really not kidding), so the computer that I built is a substantial investment. If I break it (more severely than I have already) then I'll have the pleasure of doing my CS homework in a public lab that is a good 25 minute walk from here...
I've got a 700 mhz Athlon running at 800mhz. How's that?
I have heard the terms "flamer", "flamebait", and "flaming" before, but have never heard a formal definiton. Could someone enlighten me?
You really do not need to freak out about AOL destroying the world or even squelching free speech. News media have always presented biased stories. AOL may supress the free speech of some people for a little while, but the average non-AOL user should have nothing to worry about. Also, three major things have happened in the last few days: AOL and WB stocks took hits, IBM decided to support Linux for their products, and SUN made a deal with a UK company to sell them $500,000,000 in wireless tech. It all evens out, so don't get your pocket protectors all rumpled about it. - crazy_swimmer
A lot of people are OVER-reacting about this AOL/Time Warner merger. Big companies really are not as bad as they are often made out to be. One of the earlier posts mentioned Standard Oil controlling the US. Maybe true, but they were also one of the first American companies to promote R&D. Could that be a terrible thing? Consider TI and HP. They dominate the pocket calculator market, but they also made pocket calculators affordable for the average person, not just the scientist or engineer. Apple deserves props! Their innovation made desktop computers practical for the common man. They dominated the market for a while, but are no longer a threat that people worry about. By inventing technology that made computers accesable to everyone, they not only helped the average goof who needs a Mac, but also the more sophisticated user who benefits from competition, innovation, etc. People bash Microsoft all the time, but does MS ever get credit for the good that they have done? GUIs (Windows, Win95/98/NT, etc.) led to a tremendous boost in the home computer industry. They helped to make home/desktop computers practical for the masses, and affordable for all of us /. users. Look at IE, Word, and Excel. Everyone has heard of them, as they are what made computing what it is today. If it were not for the work of Apple and Microsoft, most computer users would have to log in to mainframes from dumb terminals, using something like UNIX. Nobody would have a home computer. As for AOL, they may have cluttered some of the net with dial-up dolts, but the masses of AOL users has led to great improvements in network technology. We probably wouldn't have broadband tech if there weren't a need. AOL helped to supply the need. Anyway, I've rambled enough now, but on a positive note: If I ever hear of AOL trying any mass mind control b.s., I will personally form an underground group of /. resistance fighters. We will dress up in armor made of duct tape and cat5 cable, and ride around on bicycles throwing sharpened AOL cds at anyone who would try to subjugate the innocent masses.