Sad, really. Firefox has gone from the older days of being a wonderful alternative to IE, to whatever it is today... losing market share rapidly and deservedly.
You are of course correct about Texas; I didn't include it because it isn't a national grid, unless you consider Texas a country (as some, I'm sure, still do).
Texas disconnected from the main grids long ago in an attempt to avoid Federal regulation.
There is a national grid, or rather two of them, east side and west side. The split is roughly from Montana down to Texas. It's been like that for decades. Are they talking about upgrading it or what exactly do they mean? Power is sold back and forth all over the east and all over the west.
But the point is, now we are giving these people a financial incentive to keep driving, it will happen.
Unfortunately, this is correct, and it is a problem, and there are stubborn seniors who won't stop driving when they should. I don't know the answer, but I don't have any problem with strict rules covering this. In my state, at a certain age, seniors have to do an annual driver's license renewal (with eye test). I don't think this is at all wrong.
Happily my city offers a $30 per year unlimited bus pass to those in my situation. I stopped driving when it was foolish to continue, and I ride the bus without complaining. It may be slower and less convenient, but I'm content to be personally safe, and even more, I would not want to live out my years with the guilt of having preventably harmed someone else.
This is an unfair generalization about seniors. I happen to be a senior, and when my eyesight started to deteriorate I voluntarily stopped driving because I didn't want to get hurt or hurt someone else. I am by far not the only one to be responsible about this.
Methodologies and structured methods were never really the problem. The way they were rigidly applied by untutored fools was the problem. Thinking a methodology would make up for poor coding and design skills was the problem. Using a methodology to choke projects was the problem.
I've seen full-blown structured treatments given to tiny, tiny projects, with zero understanding that only certain steps were required and the rest were needless delay and expense. The creators of the methodologies generally knew better, but some of their disciples did not. The methodology salesmen certainly didn't know better. Many a dumb IT manager didn't know better.
Don't blame Mr. Yourdon. He contributed thousands of times more than most of us ever will. If academics with no experience and managers with almost no experience misused his teachings, he's not responsible.
A very good question. EMACS tries to be all things to all people... and it is. I've used it since almost the very beginning and can't live without it.
That said, I'm not interested in the GUI stuff because it slows me down, and since EMACS is infinitely customizable I just turn it off. To each his own; some people like menus and so on. I do enable display of in-line graphics but no more than that.
Yes, there is confusion over purpose and direction, but to somewhat justify it, I'll say this. Learning EMACS, which is a big job, is a lot easier with menus and a GUI interface to help get started. Over time you learn the keystrokes and become more efficient until eventually you don't need the GUI (but you can of course still keep it).
EMACS is very much not for everyone, but for those who love it, it's indispensable.
And one more little fact: on my Asus Zenbook, I typically get 5 hours running time with a mixed environment. But if I run EMACS and EMACS alone, in a full screen, I get 10 hours.
I think I finally put my finger on what, for me, is the big difference.
Let's be honest. Windows systems need work. Linux systems need work. There's some customization, some number of problems to be solved, some usability issues, etc., on both platforms.
But what I find different is that I have to work against Windows, while I'm able to work with Linux.
For instance, on new machines for some reason I always seem to end up with Nvidia. On my Linux Mint installs, that usually means adding a boot parameter and/or putting in a different video card driver. But there's a mechanism for doing that. That mechanism is understood and documented and is a part of the system. It requires some effort, but things are set up in a way that it's meant to be done and can be done when needed.
On Windows 8.1, I had trouble finding things and had to look for a 3rd party "classic menu" add-on. On Mint, I customize my menus using the tools provided for that very purpose.
On Windows, if I want (say) LibreOffice, I have to go download it and install it, and since it's not part of the Microsoft ecosystem, I have to keep it updated--- manually. On Mint, it came preinstalled, but if it hadn't, or if I want the latest version, I add a PPA using mechanisms built-in for that very purpose; and then I don't have to manually update. Updates are made available automatically and I just have to click "go" effectively.
When I have a hardware compatibility issue on Linux, I do have to look things up. But generally I can again use processes and installation methods that are part of the system. Does the Windows store offer anything like what I can get from my Mint package manager, especially if I'm willing to add PPAs?
On Windows, I have to work against the system to make sure Microsoft's telemetry isn't reporting on every time I sip my coffee. On Linux Mint, it's a non-issue in the first place. On Windows 8.1, I have to work against the system to prevent being forced into downloading Windows 10. On Linux Mint, I'm offered an upgrade button but it's completely up to me and I can make the button go away using provided mechanisms.
I don't deny that there's work in setting up Linux, and that there are sometimes issues (I do deny that Windows "just works"). But Linux provides the tools and mechanisms to get things going and get them set up the way I want them. I work with Linux. I work against Windows.
I can't be arsed to spend hours or days dicking about with something that should just work.
And you honestly think Windows "just work"(s) ?
When I got a new machine, and it came with Windows 8.1, I spent hours d---ing around just trying to FIND things. I installed Linux, and it worked with just a single video card tweak, which took me less than five minutes to find on-line and then apply. Sure, maybe not something for the "average" user, but neither is a Windows install.
I don't know where this comes from. I've used LibreOffice for anything from making executive presentations to publishing a 500 page book to doing financial models. It's always done what I've needed to get done. I'm not going to get into obscure feature comparisons to "prove" MS Office is better... just daily bread and butter work of the type done by millions of people. Where's the problem with LibreOffice? What makes it "not very good"? Lack of a crappy ribbon interface? The fact that it doesn't cost a couple of hundred dollars?
Honestly I hated giving up my still-working Epson Equity 286 when we last moved. It was --- what? 20+ years old? In its day it was considered a good machine. And it would still run WordStar and some other things, that is to say, it was still highly capable of certain types of productive work, like writing a novel or doing simple spreadsheets[1]. A little tough to do compatible backups, though:)
>Businesses don't just sit on their ass and let defects sit around, and security holes they know of wide open. They fix them. If, and when, they can.
Is this the case, though? We've seen Microsoft, Google, and others take the approach of "I won't fix it until it's discovered" or worse, "I won't fix that at all." (See many/. stories for examples.) Or say something closely related like "well then you better upgrade to Windows 10" which on its face seems reasonable but....
Any kind of telemetry that's concealed or "opt out" is an issue, and I too view it as unacceptable.
But at least with Linux you can go to a different distro. What do you do if you're stuck with Windows?
With Linux you can just say, "okay, Ubuntu is doing shady stuff, I'll just use Mint instead"; with Windows you live with it, fight it --- or in the end ditch it, if you aren't already tied to some Windows-only necessity.
What I don't understand is this. While there's the predictable (and justifiable) outrage on Slashdot, where's the outrage among the general public? Do they not care that Microsoft has taken over their computer? Do they not care about being spied upon?
Or, maybe I do understand it, which would be sad... the general public doesn't care as long as they can watch Lady Goo Goo and other so called entertainment... sell their private data? their private lives? their souls? Who cares, the football game is on and I've got a couple of six packs!
Users have found a way to install Windows Media Center on Win10.
It's great that this can be done, and all well and good. But people who criticize Linux for making you figure out how to get things to work should take note. Windows is not necessarily "it just works."
Slashdot Mirror
Sad, really. Firefox has gone from the older days of being a wonderful alternative to IE, to whatever it is today ... losing market share rapidly and deservedly.
Maybe I will have a look at Pale Moon.
You are of course correct about Texas; I didn't include it because it isn't a national grid, unless you consider Texas a country (as some, I'm sure, still do).
Texas disconnected from the main grids long ago in an attempt to avoid Federal regulation.
There is a national grid, or rather two of them, east side and west side. The split is roughly from Montana down to Texas. It's been like that for decades. Are they talking about upgrading it or what exactly do they mean? Power is sold back and forth all over the east and all over the west.
But the point is, now we are giving these people a financial incentive to keep driving, it will happen.
Unfortunately, this is correct, and it is a problem, and there are stubborn seniors who won't stop driving when they should. I don't know the answer, but I don't have any problem with strict rules covering this. In my state, at a certain age, seniors have to do an annual driver's license renewal (with eye test). I don't think this is at all wrong.
Happily my city offers a $30 per year unlimited bus pass to those in my situation. I stopped driving when it was foolish to continue, and I ride the bus without complaining. It may be slower and less convenient, but I'm content to be personally safe, and even more, I would not want to live out my years with the guilt of having preventably harmed someone else.
This is an unfair generalization about seniors. I happen to be a senior, and when my eyesight started to deteriorate I voluntarily stopped driving because I didn't want to get hurt or hurt someone else. I am by far not the only one to be responsible about this.
Methodologies and structured methods were never really the problem. The way they were rigidly applied by untutored fools was the problem. Thinking a methodology would make up for poor coding and design skills was the problem. Using a methodology to choke projects was the problem.
I've seen full-blown structured treatments given to tiny, tiny projects, with zero understanding that only certain steps were required and the rest were needless delay and expense. The creators of the methodologies generally knew better, but some of their disciples did not. The methodology salesmen certainly didn't know better. Many a dumb IT manager didn't know better.
Don't blame Mr. Yourdon. He contributed thousands of times more than most of us ever will. If academics with no experience and managers with almost no experience misused his teachings, he's not responsible.
>by patching them, the company would effectively break compatibility between the different versions of their operating system.
Since when did MS seriously worry about compatibility between versions? They're trying to force everyone onto W10 and who cares what breaks ... !
So this AC posts something that attempts to be rational (whether you agree with it or not, it's a valid attempt) and gets modded -1?
Evidence that it's unacceptable to be against the agenda and therefore must be silenced?
The chance of being injured or killed by terrorism is vanishingly small
I won't argue the stats, but if so, ask yourself why this is the case.
A very good question. EMACS tries to be all things to all people ... and it is. I've used it since almost the very beginning and can't live without it.
That said, I'm not interested in the GUI stuff because it slows me down, and since EMACS is infinitely customizable I just turn it off. To each his own; some people like menus and so on. I do enable display of in-line graphics but no more than that.
Yes, there is confusion over purpose and direction, but to somewhat justify it, I'll say this. Learning EMACS, which is a big job, is a lot easier with menus and a GUI interface to help get started. Over time you learn the keystrokes and become more efficient until eventually you don't need the GUI (but you can of course still keep it).
EMACS is very much not for everyone, but for those who love it, it's indispensable.
And one more little fact: on my Asus Zenbook, I typically get 5 hours running time with a mixed environment. But if I run EMACS and EMACS alone, in a full screen, I get 10 hours.
Well, yes, everything proves AGW!
It was crop failures that triggered the Arab Spring, which set the ground for ISIS
There you have it, AGW is responsible for terrorism!
I think I finally put my finger on what, for me, is the big difference.
Let's be honest. Windows systems need work. Linux systems need work. There's some customization, some number of problems to be solved, some usability issues, etc., on both platforms.
But what I find different is that I have to work against Windows, while I'm able to work with Linux.
For instance, on new machines for some reason I always seem to end up with Nvidia. On my Linux Mint installs, that usually means adding a boot parameter and/or putting in a different video card driver. But there's a mechanism for doing that. That mechanism is understood and documented and is a part of the system. It requires some effort, but things are set up in a way that it's meant to be done and can be done when needed.
On Windows 8.1, I had trouble finding things and had to look for a 3rd party "classic menu" add-on. On Mint, I customize my menus using the tools provided for that very purpose.
On Windows, if I want (say) LibreOffice, I have to go download it and install it, and since it's not part of the Microsoft ecosystem, I have to keep it updated--- manually. On Mint, it came preinstalled, but if it hadn't, or if I want the latest version, I add a PPA using mechanisms built-in for that very purpose; and then I don't have to manually update. Updates are made available automatically and I just have to click "go" effectively.
When I have a hardware compatibility issue on Linux, I do have to look things up. But generally I can again use processes and installation methods that are part of the system. Does the Windows store offer anything like what I can get from my Mint package manager, especially if I'm willing to add PPAs?
On Windows, I have to work against the system to make sure Microsoft's telemetry isn't reporting on every time I sip my coffee. On Linux Mint, it's a non-issue in the first place. On Windows 8.1, I have to work against the system to prevent being forced into downloading Windows 10. On Linux Mint, I'm offered an upgrade button but it's completely up to me and I can make the button go away using provided mechanisms.
I don't deny that there's work in setting up Linux, and that there are sometimes issues (I do deny that Windows "just works"). But Linux provides the tools and mechanisms to get things going and get them set up the way I want them. I work with Linux. I work against Windows.
. The unprofessional nature of Windows, its poor quality and performance
FTFY.
I can't be arsed to spend hours or days dicking about with something that should just work.
And you honestly think Windows "just work"(s) ?
When I got a new machine, and it came with Windows 8.1, I spent hours d---ing around just trying to FIND things. I installed Linux, and it worked with just a single video card tweak, which took me less than five minutes to find on-line and then apply. Sure, maybe not something for the "average" user, but neither is a Windows install.
LibreOffice is not very good
I don't know where this comes from. I've used LibreOffice for anything from making executive presentations to publishing a 500 page book to doing financial models. It's always done what I've needed to get done. I'm not going to get into obscure feature comparisons to "prove" MS Office is better ... just daily bread and butter work of the type done by millions of people. Where's the problem with LibreOffice? What makes it "not very good"? Lack of a crappy ribbon interface? The fact that it doesn't cost a couple of hundred dollars?
Why Mr. Martin, it's so nice to meet you!
Right, I'll reach his level maybe in a million years or so ..... :) But true, he does use WordStar.
Honestly I hated giving up my still-working Epson Equity 286 when we last moved. It was --- what? 20+ years old? In its day it was considered a good machine. And it would still run WordStar and some other things, that is to say, it was still highly capable of certain types of productive work, like writing a novel or doing simple spreadsheets[1]. A little tough to do compatible backups, though :)
[1] Or playing fun stuff like ZZT games.
I once heard NPR called "National Palestinian Radio". Not commenting on the accuracy of that but I thought it was pretty funny.
>Businesses don't just sit on their ass and let defects sit around, and security holes they know of wide open. They fix them. If, and when, they can.
Is this the case, though? We've seen Microsoft, Google, and others take the approach of "I won't fix it until it's discovered" or worse, "I won't fix that at all." (See many /. stories for examples.) Or say something closely related like "well then you better upgrade to Windows 10" which on its face seems reasonable but ....
Any kind of telemetry that's concealed or "opt out" is an issue, and I too view it as unacceptable.
But at least with Linux you can go to a different distro. What do you do if you're stuck with Windows?
With Linux you can just say, "okay, Ubuntu is doing shady stuff, I'll just use Mint instead"; with Windows you live with it, fight it --- or in the end ditch it, if you aren't already tied to some Windows-only necessity.
What editor?
What I don't understand is this. While there's the predictable (and justifiable) outrage on Slashdot, where's the outrage among the general public? Do they not care that Microsoft has taken over their computer? Do they not care about being spied upon?
Or, maybe I do understand it, which would be sad ... the general public doesn't care as long as they can watch Lady Goo Goo and other so called entertainment ... sell their private data? their private lives? their souls? Who cares, the football game is on and I've got a couple of six packs!
This is the single worst thing Microsoft has ever done in my book.
And remember, while the computer belongs to you
Does anyone remember the early IBM days, when the computer didn't belong to you, when IBM would only lease and not sell?
(I better not speak to loud, Microsoft will get ideas .... )
Users have found a way to install Windows Media Center on Win10.
It's great that this can be done, and all well and good. But people who criticize Linux for making you figure out how to get things to work should take note. Windows is not necessarily "it just works."