Storing them in a vault on a single machine means they are stored in the wrong place.
Both Unix and Windows have support for this, and I assume that Linux and BSD do too. (In fact, samba for Linux definitely supports domain-type authentication).
In a network of computers, it is possible to set up a single server to act as the authentication server - in fact, that's how Windows domain authentication works. I can sit at any (Windows) computer in my office and log in using my username and password. This account has not been set up on any of these machines - it resides on the domain controller. Each machine checks with that one to see if I'm authorised. This greatly reduces the overhead of user account administration - they only have to be maintained in one place, not on every machine I might have cause to use.
Bull. Quite apart from the wages you have to pay the technicians, etc, the electricity costs, and so on, there's the money that you could be making by hiring it out to someone else.
Just because you don't have to spend very much money on it, doesn't mean that doing it doesn't cost you money in lost potential earnings.
Now, if someone else let you use their studio, personnel and media for free, then it wouldn't cost you anything.
Yes, it validates your email address. So does the fact that the spam didn't bounce.
No, not quite. The mail not bouncing validates the address; it does *not* prove that anyone's actually reading the mail. Clicking the link proves not only that the address is valid, but that someone read the mail, too.
2.) It amuses me that people seem to think that/. editors have so much time on their hands that all they have to do all day is read headline and forum posts. That's what moderators and metamoderators are for, and they may not catch every story that comes down the pike.
If deciding what story submissions get posted based on content and similarity to recent stories isn't an editor's job, I'd like to know what is.
Your comment about that being what mods and meta-mods are for would be true on a site like k5, but until moderators can mod stories off the front page here, that's what the editors are supposed to be for.
They don't just do it to FreeBSD - any time any new version of a major piece of OS software is spotted on an ftp server somewhere, this happens. It has happened (iirc) for X, KDE, Gnome, Mandrake, etc.
Sure, the maintainers could restrict access until everything is ready, then announce the release and open up the servers. But why should they have to?
Jesus people, it only takes a little common courtesy to wait until the announcement is made. Is it really that important to scoop even the project's own site?
How about the fact that NVidia's drivers for Linux are at least on a par with the Windows ones? They're slightly faster in some benchmarks, slghtly slower in others - over all, pretty much the same.
Besides, superior drivers or not, what we have with Linux is a Catch-22 situation. No-one will use it because their favourite games and apps aren't being released for it. On the other hand, no-one will write such things for it because no-one is using it.(Yes, I'm ignoring questions about perceived ease of installation and use, etc)
If by "Windows is better for games" you mean "there are more games available for Windows", then yes, that's true. If you mean that Windows has a broader range of supported hardware as far as games is concerned, then yes, that's true. If you mean that Linux is fundamentally too slow, or it's too hard to install games under Linux, then all I can say is that you've never played UT, Q3, etc on a machine with an NVidia card and drivers installed. Easy to install, and just as fast (qualitatively) as the Windows versions.
Fundamentally, the reason that (commercial) games aren't released for Linux is three-fold: lack of userbase, lack of good hardware support, fragmentation of distributions. These reasons are all very much inter-related.
Windows can only run on x86-based machines (so far)
You do realise that there was a version of Windows NT for (at least) Alpha-based machines, don't you?
Also, I'm fairly certain that MS's handheld and mobile/cell phone OSes are based on WinCE, and neither of those platforms will be x86-based. No, they're not what most people would mean by "PC", either, but we're talking about what architectures Windows runs on.
lots of Java applets around the web do not work on the Mozilla/Sun combo, where they do on IE.
That's because the two VMs are essentially incompatible. IE being the de facto standard web browser, most applet writers make damn sure their applet works with MS's JVM first, then maybe, perhaps Mozilla, if they can be bothered.
And although the majority of applets do work on Moz/Sun, the JVM takes frickin' ages to load for the first time.
Well, of course it takes a while compared to the MS one - it's a hell of a lot bigger! Lots and lots of packages have been added to the API since 1.1.4 (the last version that MS released a VM for, iirc), including the entire Collections API (how anyone can write anything worthwhile without that and not tear their hair out I'll never know...)
Indeed. Where I work, we use an in-house code generation tool to generate database access code based on the schema definition. This generates a complete set of model objects, able to save themselves to and load themselves from a database.
You have no idea how much time it's saved us in the past, and will continue to save us on future projects. Even assuming the project starts with a fixed set of well defined requirements and the schema can be finalised up front, just saving the time required to write all that code is a God-send. Should the schema change, for whatever reason, adapting to the change (at the model level, at least) is as simple as rerunning the tool to generate a new set of classes.
It's not perfect, of course - there is the question of how to handle adding functionality to the classes by hand, then needing to regenerate them, amongst others. It's definitely well worth the effort that was put into it, mostly by one programmer who spent less time on it than would have been required for a single project's set of model classes.
Not everyone who wants to support open-source software is a coder. And I wouldn't dream of recommending Slackware or Debian to such types.
I am a programer, and I still wouldn't recommend Slackware or Debian to other programmers.
Don't get me wrong, my first couple of Linux installs were Slackware. Back in about '97 or so, while I was still at University, I downloaded Slackware onto floppies (lots of floppies) to take it home and install it on my PC.
Since then, I've been through a few distributions, including Debian and RedHat, but I've been using Mandrake since about 6.1 or so.
It's just so much easier to install. I don't want to spend a day or two installing, configuring and tweaking my OS. I want to get it installed and configured as quickly as possible, so I can get on and do some real work. Sure, I'll be tweaking things from time to time for a little while, and installing stuff I forgot, but that's okay - it's a little here and there, spread out over time, and the system is still usable the whole time.
I'm a programmer, not a sysadmin. I want to program, not admin my own system, beyond what's necessary.
M$ seems to not understand that viewing the source is only one third of the Open Source equation. The other half is being able to modify the code, and distribute those modifications.
No, they understand that perfectly well. However, why on Earth would they want to let people distribute modified versions of their software?
Microsoft makes money by selling software. If they let people distribute even unmodified copies, they'd make less money.
People, especially governments and large organisations, have started publicly saying "Hey, Linux is free, and you get to see the source code; maybe we should switch?". In answer to this, Microsoft has said "Well, you know, we can't do free, but our products represent extremely good value, and interoperate and integrate much better than Linux and its applications; how about we let you see some of our source, would that make you happy? Just sign here..."
Soon enough, those orgs that have the source will start making noises about making modifications, strictly for their own use. Maybe Microsoft will say okay, maybe not. I doubt very much that we'll ever see the day when they say "Oh, and of course you can give it away to other people!". It's just not the way they do business.
Ah, but it's not "95% of networks", it's "95% of computers participating in p2p networks".
That said, I really doubt the veracity of this. To me, it's more likely to either be a hoax by someone trying to get noticed, or scare tactics to get people to stop using p2p and delete their mp3s. It seems to me very unlikely that anything with such a high rate of infestation would have gone completely unnoticed.
I think probably most mobile phones owned by kids were bought for them by adults, who either caved in to pressure, have money to burn, or wanted their kid to always be able to phone home in an emergency.
My daugher is only three, but I can certainly see myself buying her a phone when she's older (teenage, if I don't cave in earlier...). If she's out and about, and gets lost, or misses her last bus/train/whatever, or Fate-forbid is being followed, I'd prefer for her to being able to phone someone (me, a taxi, the police) without having to find a pay phone first. Besides, as mobile phone ownership increases, pay phones will start to die out - who will need them? We'll all have mobiles...
I'm pretty sure that to buy a contract phone here in the UK, you must be 18 or older. Not so sure about "pay as you go" phones, though; there may well be no age restriction on them, as you're not signing up for regular monthly payments (and so can't get in debt with them as easily, and don't have to be legally able to sign a contract)
Passport still exists, but I think that take up has been much slower than MS wanted (ie virtually nonexistant). In fact, to order evaluation copies of Windows XP Professional and Office XP, I had to sign up for a Passport. To sign on to Hotmail (in IE 6 only?) or MSN Messenger, at least, you have to associate a Passport account with your XP user account, so no, Passport is not exactly dead.
.NET My Services, formerly Halistorm, is (currently) dead. The computing industry and target clients essentially told MS where to shove it.
All CPA's must have a degree before they can take the CPA exam.
A degree, or a CS degree? There is a difference, you know.
I work as a programmer, but my degree is in Physics. Of all the programmers I've known, most have had degrees in fields other than computing, including one in History.
To be a programmer, all you really need is a grasp of logic, some intelligence, and good problem solving abilities; they will get you started, and the rest (knowledge of languages, algorithms, etc) comes with experience. Any science degree (including social sciences) will give you those things.
You could say that it's my responsibility to keep backups of my data
Yes, I could, and if you hadn't, I would have.
To continue the sink analogy, whilst you can back up your data, you can't backup your house or its contents. That's why you get insurance, so you don't have to pay to replace everything if it's stolen or damaged, eg by flooding from that faulty sink.
Similarly, doctors pledge to do no harm because you can't just restore a person's backup if you botch an operation and maim or kill them.
On the other hand, while you can backup your data, I'd be amazed if you could actually insure it, and even if you could, it's highly unlikely that you could just pay to replace it. Two carpets are very much the same - differnt colours, different textures, but both do the same basic job, and are essentially interchangeable. Two data are not - what good to me is your bank account details say, if it's mine that I need?
Before you ask, no, I don't back up my data either, but then none of it is really important. If I was running a business, then hell yes, I'd make regular backups - anyone who doesn't is a fool.
That bit in italics (ie the entire summary) is written by the poster. Unless michael is putting words into the mouth of the submitter, no, he isn't trolling.
(The submitter of the story is, of course, but that's a different matter, and of course, the editors get to choose which of the doubtless several submissions actually get published...)
DRM is coming, whether we like it or not, and when it comes, it will be beneficial for all (consumers) concerned if there is a single standard. That way, you can buy any media and any media player, and be sure that the two will work together. For the more nefarious amongst us, that will also give a single DRM standard to (try to) break.
If there are a number of different, incompatible implementations, then you'll have to be careful about what player you buy - will it work with the songs that your favourite artist releases? Will you pick the wrong one, that uses a DRM scheme that dies out like consumer-grade Betamax did? That will render all your media useless when your player finally breaks, unless the company provides a way to change the scheme used.
Of course open source projects can do interface research, hold user trials, go through test cases, etc.
The problem is that no-one seems to want to. Most open source projects happen because someone (or a group of people) decide to write some code, and start. People don't want to spend months gathering requirements and having meetings to discuss and finalise features, they want to get on with "the real work".
I do agree with you though - I see nothing wrong in taking inspiration from those companies that do put that sort of effort into interface design. Isn't that what open source is supposed to be about? Learning from others, building on their work to produce something better?
In my experience (as a web developer), sometimes users (even a single user) will specify features that are mutually exclusive.
Of course, the problem with letting developers specify features is that often they're not the ones actually using the product, so they may not know what features are actually going to be useful.
The best thing to do is to sit down and talk about it. This lets the users tell the developers what they want and need, while letting the developers say "okay, we cna do that, but then you can't have this feature" or "Sorry, that could take months or even years to do; how about this instead?"
Hell I post stuff all the time, then later realize I was wrong. But I wouldn't go back and hide them even if I could, I'll admit my mistakes and let 'em stand. It's just part of being a man, I suppose.
Oh the irony of an anonymous coward saying something like that...
And by the way, whoever moderated that as "Overrated" - how is the default score for a comment "Overrated"?
Yes, they could, but diplomatically speaking that is an absolute no-no.
No sovereign nation would accept that sort of behaviour from another, especially not an ally. So whilst yes, the US government could have him kidnapped, it would be an astoundingly foolish thing to do, and almost certainly against international law.
True, the US is far more powerful than Norway, but assumning that Norway is a member of the EU (I confess to forgetting exactly what countries are and are not), the EU would probably be bound to assist them. Trade relations between the EU and the US aren't exactly wonderful at the moment, and the EU is big enough that the US couldn't simply ignore it.
As you are aware, the US government is currently very keen to keep other countries at least tolerant of their stance against Iraq; the last thing it would want to do is turn its allies against itself. Politics, like most things, is all about give and take - "I'll support you in this, if you support me in that". Kidnapping Jon would not help their cause in other, more immediately important areas.
Bottom line - yes, they could, but no, they won't.
I'm 28, have also been playing games of all types since I was 8, and I have never been in a fight either. I too have had plenty of opportunities, but that's just not the sort of person I am.
Think about that for a second - that's 20 years of gaming, starting from an impresionable age, and I'm still not a violent person. That's ignoring the films I watch, too.
Violent games and films aren't the problem, they're just a convenient scapegoat, something that can be controlled with little or no effort on the part of parents. The problem is a lack of discipline, self control and moral awareness. These are things that kids mostly get from their peers and their parents.
Too many parents let the TV babysit their kids all day, don't spend enough time with them, go far too easy on discipline, then wonder why they turn into tearaways and start looking for something to blame.
I don't mean to sound sanctimonious or patronising, but I have to say that my immediate thought on reading this was "You're learning".
I really fail to see why so many people seem to care so much about whether or not "mainstream users" are using Linux on their PCs. As long as it works for you, and you can get done what you need to get done, why worry?
I use Linux (curently Mandrake 9) exclusively at work. I do have XP installed under VMWare, but hardly ever use it. I'm a Java programmer, writing server-side code for websites, and so have no need for Windows; Linux does everything I need. For those few doc files that OpenOffice can't handle, I have VMWare & XP.
At home, I recently bought (yes, bought) a copy of XP Pro. That's because I play a lot of games, and until I can walk into a shop and buy any game I want knowing that it'll work under Linux, I "need" Windows.
I used to care deeply about getting people to use Linux, especially my fellow programmers (I was the first non-sysadmin at my company to install Linux on their PC, having finally gotten the go-ahead from management). Over time, though, I came to realise that it really doesn't matter.
There are enough people passionate enough about Linux that I need not worry about it dying out any time soon. All the hardware I need to use is supported, and I can get development tools for most languages for it (even C# is being worked on!). Why should I care how many people I've never met and never will have any contact with are using it?
The right tool for the right job, but also, the right tool for the right person.
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Storing them in a vault on a single machine means they are stored in the wrong place.
:-)
Both Unix and Windows have support for this, and I assume that Linux and BSD do too. (In fact, samba for Linux definitely supports domain-type authentication).
In a network of computers, it is possible to set up a single server to act as the authentication server - in fact, that's how Windows domain authentication works. I can sit at any (Windows) computer in my office and log in using my username and password. This account has not been set up on any of these machines - it resides on the domain controller. Each machine checks with that one to see if I'm authorised. This greatly reduces the overhead of user account administration - they only have to be maintained in one place, not on every machine I might have cause to use.
This is a lie.
No, you're clearly just new to this
7 days in your own studio costs nothing.
Bull. Quite apart from the wages you have to pay the technicians, etc, the electricity costs, and so on, there's the money that you could be making by hiring it out to someone else.
Just because you don't have to spend very much money on it, doesn't mean that doing it doesn't cost you money in lost potential earnings.
Now, if someone else let you use their studio, personnel and media for free, then it wouldn't cost you anything.
Yes, it validates your email address. So does the fact that the spam didn't bounce.
No, not quite. The mail not bouncing validates the address; it does *not* prove that anyone's actually reading the mail. Clicking the link proves not only that the address is valid, but that someone read the mail, too.
2.) It amuses me that people seem to think that /. editors have so much time on their hands that all they have to do all day is read headline and forum posts. That's what moderators and metamoderators are for, and they may not catch every story that comes down the pike.
If deciding what story submissions get posted based on content and similarity to recent stories isn't an editor's job, I'd like to know what is.
Your comment about that being what mods and meta-mods are for would be true on a site like k5, but until moderators can mod stories off the front page here, that's what the editors are supposed to be for.
They don't just do it to FreeBSD - any time any new version of a major piece of OS software is spotted on an ftp server somewhere, this happens. It has happened (iirc) for X, KDE, Gnome, Mandrake, etc.
Sure, the maintainers could restrict access until everything is ready, then announce the release and open up the servers. But why should they have to?
Jesus people, it only takes a little common courtesy to wait until the announcement is made. Is it really that important to scoop even the project's own site?
Superior drivers?
How about the fact that NVidia's drivers for Linux are at least on a par with the Windows ones? They're slightly faster in some benchmarks, slghtly slower in others - over all, pretty much the same.
Besides, superior drivers or not, what we have with Linux is a Catch-22 situation. No-one will use it because their favourite games and apps aren't being released for it. On the other hand, no-one will write such things for it because no-one is using it.(Yes, I'm ignoring questions about perceived ease of installation and use, etc)
If by "Windows is better for games" you mean "there are more games available for Windows", then yes, that's true. If you mean that Windows has a broader range of supported hardware as far as games is concerned, then yes, that's true. If you mean that Linux is fundamentally too slow, or it's too hard to install games under Linux, then all I can say is that you've never played UT, Q3, etc on a machine with an NVidia card and drivers installed. Easy to install, and just as fast (qualitatively) as the Windows versions.
Fundamentally, the reason that (commercial) games aren't released for Linux is three-fold: lack of userbase, lack of good hardware support, fragmentation of distributions. These reasons are all very much inter-related.
Windows can only run on x86-based machines (so far)
You do realise that there was a version of Windows NT for (at least) Alpha-based machines, don't you?
Also, I'm fairly certain that MS's handheld and mobile/cell phone OSes are based on WinCE, and neither of those platforms will be x86-based. No, they're not what most people would mean by "PC", either, but we're talking about what architectures Windows runs on.
lots of Java applets around the web do not work on the Mozilla/Sun combo, where they do on IE.
That's because the two VMs are essentially incompatible. IE being the de facto standard web browser, most applet writers make damn sure their applet works with MS's JVM first, then maybe, perhaps Mozilla, if they can be bothered.
And although the majority of applets do work on Moz/Sun, the JVM takes frickin' ages to load for the first time.
Well, of course it takes a while compared to the MS one - it's a hell of a lot bigger! Lots and lots of packages have been added to the API since 1.1.4 (the last version that MS released a VM for, iirc), including the entire Collections API (how anyone can write anything worthwhile without that and not tear their hair out I'll never know...)
yay for automatic code generation!
Indeed. Where I work, we use an in-house code generation tool to generate database access code based on the schema definition. This generates a complete set of model objects, able to save themselves to and load themselves from a database.
You have no idea how much time it's saved us in the past, and will continue to save us on future projects. Even assuming the project starts with a fixed set of well defined requirements and the schema can be finalised up front, just saving the time required to write all that code is a God-send. Should the schema change, for whatever reason, adapting to the change (at the model level, at least) is as simple as rerunning the tool to generate a new set of classes.
It's not perfect, of course - there is the question of how to handle adding functionality to the classes by hand, then needing to regenerate them, amongst others. It's definitely well worth the effort that was put into it, mostly by one programmer who spent less time on it than would have been required for a single project's set of model classes.
Not everyone who wants to support open-source software is a coder. And I wouldn't dream of recommending Slackware or Debian to such types.
I am a programer, and I still wouldn't recommend Slackware or Debian to other programmers.
Don't get me wrong, my first couple of Linux installs were Slackware. Back in about '97 or so, while I was still at University, I downloaded Slackware onto floppies (lots of floppies) to take it home and install it on my PC.
Since then, I've been through a few distributions, including Debian and RedHat, but I've been using Mandrake since about 6.1 or so.
It's just so much easier to install. I don't want to spend a day or two installing, configuring and tweaking my OS. I want to get it installed and configured as quickly as possible, so I can get on and do some real work. Sure, I'll be tweaking things from time to time for a little while, and installing stuff I forgot, but that's okay - it's a little here and there, spread out over time, and the system is still usable the whole time.
I'm a programmer, not a sysadmin. I want to program, not admin my own system, beyond what's necessary.
M$ seems to not understand that viewing the source is only one third of the Open Source equation. The other half is being able to modify the code, and distribute those modifications.
No, they understand that perfectly well. However, why on Earth would they want to let people distribute modified versions of their software?
Microsoft makes money by selling software. If they let people distribute even unmodified copies, they'd make less money.
People, especially governments and large organisations, have started publicly saying "Hey, Linux is free, and you get to see the source code; maybe we should switch?". In answer to this, Microsoft has said "Well, you know, we can't do free, but our products represent extremely good value, and interoperate and integrate much better than Linux and its applications; how about we let you see some of our source, would that make you happy? Just sign here..."
Soon enough, those orgs that have the source will start making noises about making modifications, strictly for their own use. Maybe Microsoft will say okay, maybe not. I doubt very much that we'll ever see the day when they say "Oh, and of course you can give it away to other people!". It's just not the way they do business.
Ah, but it's not "95% of networks", it's "95% of computers participating in p2p networks".
That said, I really doubt the veracity of this. To me, it's more likely to either be a hoax by someone trying to get noticed, or scare tactics to get people to stop using p2p and delete their mp3s. It seems to me very unlikely that anything with such a high rate of infestation would have gone completely unnoticed.
I think probably most mobile phones owned by kids were bought for them by adults, who either caved in to pressure, have money to burn, or wanted their kid to always be able to phone home in an emergency.
My daugher is only three, but I can certainly see myself buying her a phone when she's older (teenage, if I don't cave in earlier...). If she's out and about, and gets lost, or misses her last bus/train/whatever, or Fate-forbid is being followed, I'd prefer for her to being able to phone someone (me, a taxi, the police) without having to find a pay phone first. Besides, as mobile phone ownership increases, pay phones will start to die out - who will need them? We'll all have mobiles...
I'm pretty sure that to buy a contract phone here in the UK, you must be 18 or older. Not so sure about "pay as you go" phones, though; there may well be no age restriction on them, as you're not signing up for regular monthly payments (and so can't get in debt with them as easily, and don't have to be legally able to sign a contract)
Passport still exists, but I think that take up has been much slower than MS wanted (ie virtually nonexistant). In fact, to order evaluation copies of Windows XP Professional and Office XP, I had to sign up for a Passport. To sign on to Hotmail (in IE 6 only?) or MSN Messenger, at least, you have to associate a Passport account with your XP user account, so no, Passport is not exactly dead.
.NET My Services, formerly Halistorm, is (currently) dead. The computing industry and target clients essentially told MS where to shove it.
All CPA's must have a degree before they can take the CPA exam.
A degree, or a CS degree? There is a difference, you know.
I work as a programmer, but my degree is in Physics. Of all the programmers I've known, most have had degrees in fields other than computing, including one in History.
To be a programmer, all you really need is a grasp of logic, some intelligence, and good problem solving abilities; they will get you started, and the rest (knowledge of languages, algorithms, etc) comes with experience. Any science degree (including social sciences) will give you those things.
You could say that it's my responsibility to keep backups of my data
Yes, I could, and if you hadn't, I would have.
To continue the sink analogy, whilst you can back up your data, you can't backup your house or its contents. That's why you get insurance, so you don't have to pay to replace everything if it's stolen or damaged, eg by flooding from that faulty sink.
Similarly, doctors pledge to do no harm because you can't just restore a person's backup if you botch an operation and maim or kill them.
On the other hand, while you can backup your data, I'd be amazed if you could actually insure it, and even if you could, it's highly unlikely that you could just pay to replace it. Two carpets are very much the same - differnt colours, different textures, but both do the same basic job, and are essentially interchangeable. Two data are not - what good to me is your bank account details say, if it's mine that I need?
Before you ask, no, I don't back up my data either, but then none of it is really important. If I was running a business, then hell yes, I'd make regular backups - anyone who doesn't is a fool.
That bit in italics (ie the entire summary) is written by the poster. Unless michael is putting words into the mouth of the submitter, no, he isn't trolling.
(The submitter of the story is, of course, but that's a different matter, and of course, the editors get to choose which of the doubtless several submissions actually get published...)
No, DRM fragmentation is not good.
DRM is coming, whether we like it or not, and when it comes, it will be beneficial for all (consumers) concerned if there is a single standard. That way, you can buy any media and any media player, and be sure that the two will work together. For the more nefarious amongst us, that will also give a single DRM standard to (try to) break.
If there are a number of different, incompatible implementations, then you'll have to be careful about what player you buy - will it work with the songs that your favourite artist releases? Will you pick the wrong one, that uses a DRM scheme that dies out like consumer-grade Betamax did? That will render all your media useless when your player finally breaks, unless the company provides a way to change the scheme used.
Of course open source projects can do interface research, hold user trials, go through test cases, etc.
The problem is that no-one seems to want to. Most open source projects happen because someone (or a group of people) decide to write some code, and start. People don't want to spend months gathering requirements and having meetings to discuss and finalise features, they want to get on with "the real work".
I do agree with you though - I see nothing wrong in taking inspiration from those companies that do put that sort of effort into interface design. Isn't that what open source is supposed to be about? Learning from others, building on their work to produce something better?
That learning and reuse doesn't stop at code.
In my experience (as a web developer), sometimes users (even a single user) will specify features that are mutually exclusive.
Of course, the problem with letting developers specify features is that often they're not the ones actually using the product, so they may not know what features are actually going to be useful.
The best thing to do is to sit down and talk about it. This lets the users tell the developers what they want and need, while letting the developers say "okay, we cna do that, but then you can't have this feature" or "Sorry, that could take months or even years to do; how about this instead?"
Hell I post stuff all the time, then later realize I was wrong. But I wouldn't go back and hide them even if I could, I'll admit my mistakes and let 'em stand. It's just part of being a man, I suppose.
Oh the irony of an anonymous coward saying something like that...
And by the way, whoever moderated that as "Overrated" - how is the default score for a comment "Overrated"?
Yes, they could, but diplomatically speaking that is an absolute no-no.
No sovereign nation would accept that sort of behaviour from another, especially not an ally. So whilst yes, the US government could have him kidnapped, it would be an astoundingly foolish thing to do, and almost certainly against international law.
True, the US is far more powerful than Norway, but assumning that Norway is a member of the EU (I confess to forgetting exactly what countries are and are not), the EU would probably be bound to assist them. Trade relations between the EU and the US aren't exactly wonderful at the moment, and the EU is big enough that the US couldn't simply ignore it.
As you are aware, the US government is currently very keen to keep other countries at least tolerant of their stance against Iraq; the last thing it would want to do is turn its allies against itself. Politics, like most things, is all about give and take - "I'll support you in this, if you support me in that". Kidnapping Jon would not help their cause in other, more immediately important areas.
Bottom line - yes, they could, but no, they won't.
2. They have no way of knowing if a site can't handle the load.
I'd agree with you there, if it weren't for the fact that it happens all the damn time, hence your fourth point.
It really wouldn't kill the editors to at least try to get in touch with the server admin; you know, display a little common sense and courtesy?
I'm 28, have also been playing games of all types since I was 8, and I have never been in a fight either. I too have had plenty of opportunities, but that's just not the sort of person I am.
Think about that for a second - that's 20 years of gaming, starting from an impresionable age, and I'm still not a violent person. That's ignoring the films I watch, too.
Violent games and films aren't the problem, they're just a convenient scapegoat, something that can be controlled with little or no effort on the part of parents. The problem is a lack of discipline, self control and moral awareness. These are things that kids mostly get from their peers and their parents.
Too many parents let the TV babysit their kids all day, don't spend enough time with them, go far too easy on discipline, then wonder why they turn into tearaways and start looking for something to blame.
I don't mean to sound sanctimonious or patronising, but I have to say that my immediate thought on reading this was "You're learning".
I really fail to see why so many people seem to care so much about whether or not "mainstream users" are using Linux on their PCs. As long as it works for you, and you can get done what you need to get done, why worry?
I use Linux (curently Mandrake 9) exclusively at work. I do have XP installed under VMWare, but hardly ever use it. I'm a Java programmer, writing server-side code for websites, and so have no need for Windows; Linux does everything I need. For those few doc files that OpenOffice can't handle, I have VMWare & XP.
At home, I recently bought (yes, bought) a copy of XP Pro. That's because I play a lot of games, and until I can walk into a shop and buy any game I want knowing that it'll work under Linux, I "need" Windows.
I used to care deeply about getting people to use Linux, especially my fellow programmers (I was the first non-sysadmin at my company to install Linux on their PC, having finally gotten the go-ahead from management). Over time, though, I came to realise that it really doesn't matter.
There are enough people passionate enough about Linux that I need not worry about it dying out any time soon. All the hardware I need to use is supported, and I can get development tools for most languages for it (even C# is being worked on!). Why should I care how many people I've never met and never will have any contact with are using it?
The right tool for the right job, but also, the right tool for the right person.