Let's hope you don't want to resell a game you purchased from Steam.
Let's hope that VAC works perfectly and won't ban you from VAC servers by accident because you were running something perfectly legit which happened to trip its detection mechanism.
Let's hope that when Gabe says Valve will release an unlock tool so you can play your games when/if Valve ever collapses, he actually follows through.
Disclaimer: I've used Steam for years and continue to do so. I think it's great... as long as nothing goes wrong.
Let's face it, if (hypothetically) Silverlight happens to become a common-place tech used on the Internet, then we're better off with an implementation in Linux than without. Even if that means binary-only and proprietary.
It's not ideal sure, but few things are in life. Give people who want functionality the means to do so in their OS of choice. If others wish to stick to their own principles, that's fine. They don't have to install the plugin, and can choose to miss out on the next Olympics stream or ability to use an upcoming HD movie service or whatever. But if people want such features, then cool beans, they've got the choice now.
I don't trust Microsoft either, but I've given up complaining about missing functionality in Linux. I just take whatever I can get, proprietary or not (including Flash and NVIDIA drivers). MHO.
Hell I don't even want 3D desktops and transparent windows - take all the damn effects away, and leave me with the folder metaphor, current UI for editing text and pictures, and a command line.
Keep in mind, you're unusual. You WANT a command line for example. Oh, and when I say unusual I mean when compared to those outside of the Slashdot crowd, so no offense.:)
I would suggest that since humans are a very visual-thinking species, there's still a lot that can be improved in the visiual representation of information and the way in which it can be manipulated. The "minority report" interface might be a little impractical perhaps, but it's just one idea out of a group of other ideas for the future of UI. I don't think we should stagnate by keeping current GUIs because they "just work". If they did, people wouldn't keep clicking OK or Close on error messages while not actually paying attention to them for example.
Most likely. And yet when Microsoft did it first by implementing it in Vista, they were (and continue to be) flamed for it.
Yes I know DRM exists in other areas of Vista (eg. protected audio path), but still, now that Apple have gone with this, will they be flamed too as should be fair?
Well I have a better chance of getting fully-functional drivers in Windows than Linux. That's my point. Doesn't have to be out-of-the-box either (Linux has the advantage there), just in the end. Doesn't matter whether it SHOULD be the case or now, just what it currently IS.
Seriously, this bullshit about underestimating Linux has got to stop by the Windows crowd. Makes them look uneducated, ignorant and/or astroturfers.
Sorry for having a different opinion.
(Disclaimer - disillusioned former Linux user, having been promised the world and not seeing much as a result. Life is just harder in Linux, too many things to think about.)
Hardware makers make hardware with drivers that work in Windows because that's what "everyone" uses. Why wouldn't they? There's no need to make deals, it's friggin' obvious who you'd target your hardware for. As for Linux, support for it varies from hardware maker to hardware maker. They need to believe they'll see a return on their investment (cost, time, whatever) in developing drivers for Linux. If Linux had more market share in the desktop world, then sure, drivers would be more functional/available.
If your printer is supported, chances are it will work out of the box.
I could say exactly the same thing about Vista. It detects my older Canon printer out of the box, like Ubuntu. But unlike Ubuntu, the drivers are fully featured (eg. they can show ink levels, initiate manual head cleaning, etc).
Seriously, this bullshit about underestimating Windows has got to fucking stop by the Linux crowd. Makes them look uneducated.
So now they will need to monitor the amount of bandwidth you use, set up a database to keep track of it, change their billing software so it can deal with variable billing, and verify that the customer actually paid the (variable) correct amount. All to collect a few bucks from a few customers.
Big deal. The Australian ISPs have that technology perfected already, the American ISPs can just buy it from us.:)
He did the equivalent of finding a hole in someone's fence, breaking through the fence into the person's property, and then having a look around before telling the owner "hey, your fence has a hole in it". The kid was foolish here, assuming he had the best of intentions.
But hey, at least the kid learned a valuable (and sad) lesson in life:
You hated Windows? I didn't. I hated the fucktard who came up with Sasser. Yes it's a shame Windows was vulnerable in such a case, but it did persuade Microsoft to supply a better firewall (enabled by default) with Service Pack 2. Such things act like a motivation sometimes.
One thing that a lot of people seem to enthusiastically remind others about when it comes to Ubuntu or Linux in general, is how good it is at supporting drivers "out of the box". Yes that's nice, but what I've found is a lot of those drivers lack functionality that I can immediately access in Windows after installing the drivers manually over there.
For example:
* I have a crappy Canon inkjet printer, but it still works so I keep using it. Both Ubuntu and Vista detect it and support it out of the box, however Vista is able to show extra details such as the ink levels, as well as allow me to perform deep cleaning/head alignment operations on the printer if required. I don't have any of that functionality in Linux - as far as the hardware support goes it just allows me to print, and that's pretty much it.
* My laptop uses an Intel X3100 integrated graphics chipset. Nothing fancy, but it works quite well. Ubuntu has an advantage where it correctly identifies the chipset, and not only enables the 3D stuff immediately but also correctly sets the resolution. In Vista/XP I'm required to install the drivers manually. However, in Ubuntu I'm unable to do things such as force the screen to keep its aspect ratio when running in a 4:3 resolution on a 16:10 screen (which is kinda important with games which don't have widescreen support for example). I don't have any ability to rotate the screen, which is easy to do with the Intel control panel in Windows, but none exists in Linux. There's probably a way via Xorg or xrandr but goodness knows I can't find it. Also, the OpenGL extensions aren't fully supported in Linux, which means certain games won't even run there but they will in Windows. Again, not a big deal for a laptop which isn't really designed for games, but there you go.
* The power settings available in Vista is incredible. It allows for very easy to tune control over how the machine powers down elements to save power, plus overall I can keep my Vista system running longer with Aero running than I can in Linux with Compiz.
Those are my experiences, and of course others will vary. Having said that, I'm sure there are people who don't care about such features with their computers, and in such a case, having minimally supported features on hardware is probably OK to them. To me, I want to have EVERYTHING the hardware can do.
Innovation is overrated. I prefer playing games that are fun. It is possible to create a game that's innovative and yet not that much fun, Spore being a good example. It is also possible to make a game that's innovative AND fun, Portal being a good example.
Innovation is a nice concept, but all in all, I'd prefer a game that's just plain fun, innovative or not. Believe it or not, some formulas aren't "tired" and can be done again and again with a few changes between iterations. The GTA and Civilization games come to mind.
Honestly, what is it with FOSS and crappy names? (looking at you, gimp)
Programmers don't know/give a damn about marketing. Remember, they generally create something for themselves, so the name really doesn't matter to them. For better or worse.
Seriously is there anyone on/. that isn't a "me too, me too" Microsoft sucks, Linux is good person?
*raises hand*
I only use Vista now. Tried Ubuntu solo, dual-boot, gave it up for something that provided me with a modern GUI with a massive amount of commercial software. Those are my reasons, and time has shown that I was right and the zealots were wrong.
Why? Because Microsoft will step in and provide a "really good deal" in exchange for the Government dropping Linux and using MS software instead.
My theory is that the Government probably would prefer Windows and relevant MS software on these laptops, however they first start by suggesting they MAY put Linux and OSS, in the hopes that Microsoft gives them a deal. Of course, if what MS offers isn't good enough, Linux is the fallback alternative, but I'm still sure that Linux is not the first choice, but rather a fail-safe and bargaining chip. I say this as an Aussie too.
Slashdot Mirror
They don't exist. Not in the necessary numbers.
COBOL.
... but all this talk about cyberwar just makes me think PEW! PEW! PEW! for some reason.
Let's hope you don't want to resell a game you purchased from Steam.
Let's hope that VAC works perfectly and won't ban you from VAC servers by accident because you were running something perfectly legit which happened to trip its detection mechanism.
Let's hope that when Gabe says Valve will release an unlock tool so you can play your games when/if Valve ever collapses, he actually follows through.
Disclaimer: I've used Steam for years and continue to do so. I think it's great... as long as nothing goes wrong.
Let's face it, if (hypothetically) Silverlight happens to become a common-place tech used on the Internet, then we're better off with an implementation in Linux than without. Even if that means binary-only and proprietary.
It's not ideal sure, but few things are in life. Give people who want functionality the means to do so in their OS of choice. If others wish to stick to their own principles, that's fine. They don't have to install the plugin, and can choose to miss out on the next Olympics stream or ability to use an upcoming HD movie service or whatever. But if people want such features, then cool beans, they've got the choice now.
I don't trust Microsoft either, but I've given up complaining about missing functionality in Linux. I just take whatever I can get, proprietary or not (including Flash and NVIDIA drivers). MHO.
Keep in mind, you're unusual. You WANT a command line for example. Oh, and when I say unusual I mean when compared to those outside of the Slashdot crowd, so no offense. :)
I would suggest that since humans are a very visual-thinking species, there's still a lot that can be improved in the visiual representation of information and the way in which it can be manipulated. The "minority report" interface might be a little impractical perhaps, but it's just one idea out of a group of other ideas for the future of UI. I don't think we should stagnate by keeping current GUIs because they "just work". If they did, people wouldn't keep clicking OK or Close on error messages while not actually paying attention to them for example.
Most likely. And yet when Microsoft did it first by implementing it in Vista, they were (and continue to be) flamed for it.
Yes I know DRM exists in other areas of Vista (eg. protected audio path), but still, now that Apple have gone with this, will they be flamed too as should be fair?
Directly attacking the fans who are providing free advertising of your product is about as stupid as it gets.
I don't quite understand the moral of the story. What's wrong with the novice programmer playing a computer game?
Is the master programmer some dry sort who doesn't agree with computer games or something?
Well I have a better chance of getting fully-functional drivers in Windows than Linux. That's my point. Doesn't have to be out-of-the-box either (Linux has the advantage there), just in the end. Doesn't matter whether it SHOULD be the case or now, just what it currently IS.
Sorry for having a different opinion.
(Disclaimer - disillusioned former Linux user, having been promised the world and not seeing much as a result. Life is just harder in Linux, too many things to think about.)
Indeed, Vista certainly doesn't have the easier way to select a wireless network.
Having said that, Microsoft is (sometimes) capable of learning from their mistakes. Windows 7 has a modern wireless selector now: http://windows7news.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/win7_m3_ms_17.jpg
No, I don't think that.
Hardware makers make hardware with drivers that work in Windows because that's what "everyone" uses. Why wouldn't they? There's no need to make deals, it's friggin' obvious who you'd target your hardware for. As for Linux, support for it varies from hardware maker to hardware maker. They need to believe they'll see a return on their investment (cost, time, whatever) in developing drivers for Linux. If Linux had more market share in the desktop world, then sure, drivers would be more functional/available.
I could say exactly the same thing about Vista. It detects my older Canon printer out of the box, like Ubuntu. But unlike Ubuntu, the drivers are fully featured (eg. they can show ink levels, initiate manual head cleaning, etc).
Seriously, this bullshit about underestimating Windows has got to fucking stop by the Linux crowd. Makes them look uneducated.
Big deal. The Australian ISPs have that technology perfected already, the American ISPs can just buy it from us. :)
If there are "detailed technical, legal and ethical reasons why ISP-level filtering won't work", well then it can't be implemented can it.
The Government can't force ISPs to do the impossible without taking control over the Australian Internet infrastructure itself.
This is why I don't bother with analogies much. People always pick them apart. :)
He did the equivalent of finding a hole in someone's fence, breaking through the fence into the person's property, and then having a look around before telling the owner "hey, your fence has a hole in it". The kid was foolish here, assuming he had the best of intentions.
But hey, at least the kid learned a valuable (and sad) lesson in life:
No good deed goes unpunished.
You hated Windows? I didn't. I hated the fucktard who came up with Sasser. Yes it's a shame Windows was vulnerable in such a case, but it did persuade Microsoft to supply a better firewall (enabled by default) with Service Pack 2. Such things act like a motivation sometimes.
Your colorful rant perfectly shows how you don't know a thing about marketing, or to be more specific, "first impressions last".
But don't worry, it's a reason geeks aren't exactly the best business types, and you're in good company.
One thing that a lot of people seem to enthusiastically remind others about when it comes to Ubuntu or Linux in general, is how good it is at supporting drivers "out of the box". Yes that's nice, but what I've found is a lot of those drivers lack functionality that I can immediately access in Windows after installing the drivers manually over there.
For example:
* I have a crappy Canon inkjet printer, but it still works so I keep using it. Both Ubuntu and Vista detect it and support it out of the box, however Vista is able to show extra details such as the ink levels, as well as allow me to perform deep cleaning/head alignment operations on the printer if required. I don't have any of that functionality in Linux - as far as the hardware support goes it just allows me to print, and that's pretty much it.
* My laptop uses an Intel X3100 integrated graphics chipset. Nothing fancy, but it works quite well. Ubuntu has an advantage where it correctly identifies the chipset, and not only enables the 3D stuff immediately but also correctly sets the resolution. In Vista/XP I'm required to install the drivers manually. However, in Ubuntu I'm unable to do things such as force the screen to keep its aspect ratio when running in a 4:3 resolution on a 16:10 screen (which is kinda important with games which don't have widescreen support for example). I don't have any ability to rotate the screen, which is easy to do with the Intel control panel in Windows, but none exists in Linux. There's probably a way via Xorg or xrandr but goodness knows I can't find it. Also, the OpenGL extensions aren't fully supported in Linux, which means certain games won't even run there but they will in Windows. Again, not a big deal for a laptop which isn't really designed for games, but there you go.
* The power settings available in Vista is incredible. It allows for very easy to tune control over how the machine powers down elements to save power, plus overall I can keep my Vista system running longer with Aero running than I can in Linux with Compiz.
Those are my experiences, and of course others will vary. Having said that, I'm sure there are people who don't care about such features with their computers, and in such a case, having minimally supported features on hardware is probably OK to them. To me, I want to have EVERYTHING the hardware can do.
Innovation is overrated. I prefer playing games that are fun. It is possible to create a game that's innovative and yet not that much fun, Spore being a good example. It is also possible to make a game that's innovative AND fun, Portal being a good example.
Innovation is a nice concept, but all in all, I'd prefer a game that's just plain fun, innovative or not. Believe it or not, some formulas aren't "tired" and can be done again and again with a few changes between iterations. The GTA and Civilization games come to mind.
Can we demand an open-source version of the oil for us hardcore geeks?
Programmers don't know/give a damn about marketing. Remember, they generally create something for themselves, so the name really doesn't matter to them. For better or worse.
*raises hand*
I only use Vista now. Tried Ubuntu solo, dual-boot, gave it up for something that provided me with a modern GUI with a massive amount of commercial software. Those are my reasons, and time has shown that I was right and the zealots were wrong.
Why? Because Microsoft will step in and provide a "really good deal" in exchange for the Government dropping Linux and using MS software instead.
My theory is that the Government probably would prefer Windows and relevant MS software on these laptops, however they first start by suggesting they MAY put Linux and OSS, in the hopes that Microsoft gives them a deal. Of course, if what MS offers isn't good enough, Linux is the fallback alternative, but I'm still sure that Linux is not the first choice, but rather a fail-safe and bargaining chip. I say this as an Aussie too.