I always love how the chief argument on/. for continuing the use pf nuclear power use into eternity entails holding people hostage with the mediocrity of coal-burning and its waste. Is the argument that we're stuck with nuclear due to how crappy the alternatives are, supposed to reassure me?
No, but that is the reality for the time being...
For the 21st Century, we largely have 2 options when it comes to the bulk of our power needs.
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas or Nuclear
Solar and Wind will slowly increase in overall percentage, but won't be a major part of the total world wide power consumption this century. Maybe in the 22nd Century they will, but hopefully by then Fusion is working and we won't need them.
---
Those who say we can switch it all to Wind and Solar are bad at both politics and math, for various reasons of those two forces, Wind and Solar aren't going to be a serious power source any time soon.
You're expressing your personal opinion as if it were fact.
In fairness, your comments about Windows 10 being a downgrade over Windows 7/8.1 were along similar lines.:)
In any case, I don't think it is opinion in this case, I think it is indeed a fact, when it comes to Windows 10. Let me explain:
Pro gives you advantages over Home, but I've never heard anyone else say that anyone who uses their computer for work should be on Pro.
I would have agreed with you on Windows 8.1 and before, it didn't matter then. Windows 10 is the first version for which it matters and the first version that I suggest to professionals that they use Pro. The primary reason is the ability to defer updates to a time convenient to you.
Windows 10 Home does updates whenever it darn well pleases, which doesn't matter much to your average Home user that doesn't make money with their computer and often has it left plugged in over night (when it will update at 3am) and thus never notice the updates.
Windows 10 Pro allows updates to be deferred, so if you are traveling or doing work with your machine where it MUST be available for you at specific times, then you should have updates deferred and manually run Windows Update once a week at a time that works for you. If you do this, you won't be stuck like the presenter was.
It's not a big deal, but it is a genuine problem with Windows.
In fairness, it is a genuine problem with users who refuse to learn anything about computers or keep their machines in good working condition.
This new "forced updates" thing came about due to millions of people never running Windows Updates, running botted and infected machines, and then blaming Microsoft for crappy Windows Security.
I will say that I'd like to see a bit more notice given of large updates and the ability to defer them for one week, in the event that it is not a good time. If you turn your computer on and a big update is scheduled, it could come up with a box saying "large update to Windows read, run now, or run tomorrow/next week?" with a note saying "if you defer this now, you will not be able to defer it again after a week, run Windows Update manually to update at a time that works for you."
Of course, even THAT is too complex for your average computer user, who as I said above, doesn't want to learn how a computer works. Which is probably why Microsoft didn't do it.
So, Windows is acceptable for someone who pays for the Pro edition, and then learns what it does and does not allow it to do? How impressive.
If you use your computer for work, you should be on Pro.
If you use your computer for work, you should know how the computer works, or have someone on staff who does.
The malware I was referring to is not the telemetry, which however is not up front about what it's doing. It's the software on my W7 laptop that has downloaded gigs of software I don't want, and attempts to get me to install it.
Well then it is Windows 7 that is the issue, not 10! Solve your issue today and upgrade to 10!:)
All kidding aside, I'll grant you the point that downloading Windows 10 to be installed in the future is a bit much. Not everyone is on an unlimited connection and not everyone has tons of drive space, so fair point there.
On the flip side, outside of the extreme edge cases for specific needs to be on a specific Windows version, everyone really should upgrade to Windows 10. There is no reason to stay on 7 for the vast majority of users. Microsoft might be pushing a tad hard, but since they are giving 10 away, I give them a few points back for that choice.
For most users, this is a very minor concern. Maybe to you it is important, and if so, fair enough, but it is worth noting that to the vast majority of users, this would be item number 437 on their "give a crap list" and it just doesn't rank attention.
The victim I was referring to was the speaker who was blindsided by Microsoft's updates. He counted on his computer to work, and it didn't, because Microsoft made certain decisions. He couldn't have made sure it was updated the night before with Windows 10, because Windows 10 will download and install updates when it darn well pleases.
Windows 10 Pro with updates deferred, then run the night before, would not have had this problem. Anything approaching the end of deferral would have been updated the day before, anything more recent would still be on deferral and would not run at a critical time.
There is a solution, people simply don't want to use it or know about it. They would rather blame someone else rather than themselves for not being prepared.
Pro exists for a reason.
The "upgrade" software Microsoft is pushing is malware, according to every objective definition of malware I've seen.
Then you're not reading the right ones, because it isn't malware as far as I'm concerned. It is tracking what programs you install and run, it is key-logging what you type into Cortana, it is tracking what web sites you visit to create a profile of a user. It then assigns that profile and that log to a random machine ID and uses it to build a pattern over time. But it doesn't do any of this in secret, this information is well known.
It will allow Microsoft to build a better Windows over time, knowing what people are really doing with their computers. It isn't malware because it is upfront about what it is doing and it was my choice to install it. Some of the features can be turned off, but perhaps not all. Welcome to 2016, Apple and Google aren't really much of an improvement here, for whatever that is worth. You could make some "Year of the Linux" argument, but lets be honest, Linux had the chance 15 years ago and blew it, it will not happen now for many reasons, few of them technical.
Who, Microsoft? Because the user didn't bother to bring his machine in a prepared state for his presentation?
I don't know how that happened, but at least it didn't downgrade the W7 laptop to Windows 10.
Allow me to be blunt... anyone who makes such a comment really, really needs to get out more...
Calling Windows 10 a downgrade over Windows 7 is just being a Microsoft hater and is wearing blinders. In basically every respect, Windows 10 is an upgrade over Windows 7. While there may be corner cases where 7 remains useful, they are just that, corner cases. Such cases exist for Windows 98 and Windows XP as well, but that doesn't make Windows 7 a downgrade over those choices.
Further, you don't know how powerful the laptop was, or how many updates were backed up.
It doesn't matter... If you are showing up for a professional presentation, it is your job to show up with equipment that works. With Windows, this is not hard to do, simply make sure your machine is fully updated and ready to go. Frankly, if you are being paid to do this sort of work, you should bring two computers, because stuff happens.
Anyone who blames their gear for not being able to get their work done is just making excuses.
So, you think that anyone who uses a Windows laptop should be required to know the details of how Windows operates
Yes, they should. Know how to use your tools, or find someone who does and have them prepare it for you. But just "assuming it will somehow all work out" is very unprofessional.
So somehow a computer running Linux will never have hardware failure, never be stolen, and never have a user that deletes a file by mistake and doesn't notice right away?
As far as inside the plant, the security is well beyond average. Everyone who was working had to be accountable for even the path they walked within the building, they were given one path, if they deviated at all, security was there to usher them to the correct area. The whole place is well monitored.
I understand that, but you also have to consider what that security was designed to protect against, and what it wasn't.
Is the security room in a secure area that is not easy to access quickly from the outside?
Is the front door/front drive physically secured against forced entry?
Unless those officers are physically at the nuke plant, they are probably not of much use against suicide terrorists who are not planning on leaving anyway.
A single gunman might not be all that effective, but don't underestimate the effectiveness of a team of people who have a plan and part of that plan is NOT leaving the location alive.
Are you under the impression that Nuclear power plants have great security?
More like rent-a-cop security from the guy off the night job at the mall.
The only thing of any real value there is the uranium in the tanks and it isn't something that could be moved by anyone without really special equipment.
I suppose you could drive a truck in with explosives and blow it up, but you could do that at the Mall of America as well and frankly scare far more people.
Something is broken on your end. A hundred million computers are running Windows 10, I have more than a dozen in my office, some clean install, some upgrades, all work perfectly...
Of course it will change in our lifetime. I'm only 50, and don't plan to die soon. Germany will be CO2 net zero in 20 years.
I doubt it, but we'll see.
In any case, they perhaps can afford it, if they really want to. Won't change anything, since the total planet's numbers are the only ones that count, and they can't afford to do it for everyone.
I literally see people who haven't taken control of Updates away from Microsoft spend 30 or more minutes waiting for their laptop to shutdown so they can go home.
If your laptop is taking 30 min to run Windows Update, then perhaps it is time to replace your 15 year old laptop with something designed this decade.
Even with a hard drive and not a SSD, it shouldn't take that long.
When can you wusses put your foot down and help bring a mentality like mine back to the mainstream? I'm tired of having to argue all these points and wish you would all help educate common-folk you know about these issues. Stand the fuck up for yourself.
Well, never, since I disagree with you...
For whatever faults are with the current system, it does beat the crap out of the older system where a hundred million machines were botted due to a complete lack of Windows Updates.
People simply didn't update their computers, it was a mess.
This solution isn't perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.
Telling me to "just back it up" is retarded since that is downtime
Backing up is downtime? If backing up takes you time, you're doing it wrong. In any case, you should always have a backup of your data, if you don't, you have no one but you to blame for losing it.
Anyone remember updating computers without the internet using "update disks"? We need to get back to that now
Windows 10 is fast on everything I've put it on, and that is a lot more than three machines.
Without physically being there, it is almost impossible to help you.
Side note: The "oldest" machine I've installed Windows 10 on is a Core2Quad Q6600 2.4GHz machine that is now 9 years old, it has 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a 80GB Intel G2 SSD, and it is amazingly fast for its age. Oh sure it isn't nearly as fast as modern machines, but if you're checking e-mail, facebook, or playing light games, it frankly is pretty snappy.
Windows 10 is the best release since 7, and before that, XP. Loving it every day, no regrets...
Anyone can download Windows 10 to a CD ISO image, or a bootable USB Flash Drive.
While most people won't do this, frankly they should. If you are not prepared for a computer that won't boot, then you can't complain if you have no solution when it won't boot.
People don't want to take any responsibility anymore, then blame everyone else when they have problems.
Slashdot Mirror
I always love how the chief argument on /. for continuing the use pf nuclear power use into eternity entails holding people hostage with the mediocrity of coal-burning and its waste. Is the argument that we're stuck with nuclear due to how crappy the alternatives are, supposed to reassure me?
No, but that is the reality for the time being...
For the 21st Century, we largely have 2 options when it comes to the bulk of our power needs.
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
or
Nuclear
Solar and Wind will slowly increase in overall percentage, but won't be a major part of the total world wide power consumption this century. Maybe in the 22nd Century they will, but hopefully by then Fusion is working and we won't need them.
---
Those who say we can switch it all to Wind and Solar are bad at both politics and math, for various reasons of those two forces, Wind and Solar aren't going to be a serious power source any time soon.
So what do you prefer? Carbon or Nuclear?
You're expressing your personal opinion as if it were fact.
In fairness, your comments about Windows 10 being a downgrade over Windows 7/8.1 were along similar lines. :)
In any case, I don't think it is opinion in this case, I think it is indeed a fact, when it comes to Windows 10. Let me explain:
Pro gives you advantages over Home, but I've never heard anyone else say that anyone who uses their computer for work should be on Pro.
I would have agreed with you on Windows 8.1 and before, it didn't matter then. Windows 10 is the first version for which it matters and the first version that I suggest to professionals that they use Pro. The primary reason is the ability to defer updates to a time convenient to you.
Windows 10 Home does updates whenever it darn well pleases, which doesn't matter much to your average Home user that doesn't make money with their computer and often has it left plugged in over night (when it will update at 3am) and thus never notice the updates.
Windows 10 Pro allows updates to be deferred, so if you are traveling or doing work with your machine where it MUST be available for you at specific times, then you should have updates deferred and manually run Windows Update once a week at a time that works for you. If you do this, you won't be stuck like the presenter was.
It's not a big deal, but it is a genuine problem with Windows.
In fairness, it is a genuine problem with users who refuse to learn anything about computers or keep their machines in good working condition.
This new "forced updates" thing came about due to millions of people never running Windows Updates, running botted and infected machines, and then blaming Microsoft for crappy Windows Security.
I will say that I'd like to see a bit more notice given of large updates and the ability to defer them for one week, in the event that it is not a good time. If you turn your computer on and a big update is scheduled, it could come up with a box saying "large update to Windows read, run now, or run tomorrow/next week?" with a note saying "if you defer this now, you will not be able to defer it again after a week, run Windows Update manually to update at a time that works for you."
Of course, even THAT is too complex for your average computer user, who as I said above, doesn't want to learn how a computer works. Which is probably why Microsoft didn't do it.
So, Windows is acceptable for someone who pays for the Pro edition, and then learns what it does and does not allow it to do? How impressive.
If you use your computer for work, you should be on Pro.
If you use your computer for work, you should know how the computer works, or have someone on staff who does.
The malware I was referring to is not the telemetry, which however is not up front about what it's doing. It's the software on my W7 laptop that has downloaded gigs of software I don't want, and attempts to get me to install it.
Well then it is Windows 7 that is the issue, not 10! Solve your issue today and upgrade to 10! :)
All kidding aside, I'll grant you the point that downloading Windows 10 to be installed in the future is a bit much. Not everyone is on an unlimited connection and not everyone has tons of drive space, so fair point there.
On the flip side, outside of the extreme edge cases for specific needs to be on a specific Windows version, everyone really should upgrade to Windows 10. There is no reason to stay on 7 for the vast majority of users. Microsoft might be pushing a tad hard, but since they are giving 10 away, I give them a few points back for that choice.
For most users, this is a very minor concern. Maybe to you it is important, and if so, fair enough, but it is worth noting that to the vast majority of users, this would be item number 437 on their "give a crap list" and it just doesn't rank attention.
The victim I was referring to was the speaker who was blindsided by Microsoft's updates. He counted on his computer to work, and it didn't, because Microsoft made certain decisions. He couldn't have made sure it was updated the night before with Windows 10, because Windows 10 will download and install updates when it darn well pleases.
Windows 10 Pro with updates deferred, then run the night before, would not have had this problem. Anything approaching the end of deferral would have been updated the day before, anything more recent would still be on deferral and would not run at a critical time.
There is a solution, people simply don't want to use it or know about it. They would rather blame someone else rather than themselves for not being prepared.
Pro exists for a reason.
The "upgrade" software Microsoft is pushing is malware, according to every objective definition of malware I've seen.
Then you're not reading the right ones, because it isn't malware as far as I'm concerned. It is tracking what programs you install and run, it is key-logging what you type into Cortana, it is tracking what web sites you visit to create a profile of a user. It then assigns that profile and that log to a random machine ID and uses it to build a pattern over time. But it doesn't do any of this in secret, this information is well known.
It will allow Microsoft to build a better Windows over time, knowing what people are really doing with their computers. It isn't malware because it is upfront about what it is doing and it was my choice to install it. Some of the features can be turned off, but perhaps not all. Welcome to 2016, Apple and Google aren't really much of an improvement here, for whatever that is worth. You could make some "Year of the Linux" argument, but lets be honest, Linux had the chance 15 years ago and blew it, it will not happen now for many reasons, few of them technical.
Blaming the victim, I see.
Who, Microsoft? Because the user didn't bother to bring his machine in a prepared state for his presentation?
I don't know how that happened, but at least it didn't downgrade the W7 laptop to Windows 10.
Allow me to be blunt... anyone who makes such a comment really, really needs to get out more...
Calling Windows 10 a downgrade over Windows 7 is just being a Microsoft hater and is wearing blinders. In basically every respect, Windows 10 is an upgrade over Windows 7. While there may be corner cases where 7 remains useful, they are just that, corner cases. Such cases exist for Windows 98 and Windows XP as well, but that doesn't make Windows 7 a downgrade over those choices.
Further, you don't know how powerful the laptop was, or how many updates were backed up.
It doesn't matter... If you are showing up for a professional presentation, it is your job to show up with equipment that works. With Windows, this is not hard to do, simply make sure your machine is fully updated and ready to go. Frankly, if you are being paid to do this sort of work, you should bring two computers, because stuff happens.
Anyone who blames their gear for not being able to get their work done is just making excuses.
So, you think that anyone who uses a Windows laptop should be required to know the details of how Windows operates
Yes, they should. Know how to use your tools, or find someone who does and have them prepare it for you. But just "assuming it will somehow all work out" is very unprofessional.
Yea, but in fairness, if the reactor can't take small arms fire, it is poorly designed. :)
Only in windows are regular backups mandatory.
So somehow a computer running Linux will never have hardware failure, never be stolen, and never have a user that deletes a file by mistake and doesn't notice right away?
As far as inside the plant, the security is well beyond average. Everyone who was working had to be accountable for even the path they walked within the building, they were given one path, if they deviated at all, security was there to usher them to the correct area. The whole place is well monitored.
I understand that, but you also have to consider what that security was designed to protect against, and what it wasn't.
Is the security room in a secure area that is not easy to access quickly from the outside?
Is the front door/front drive physically secured against forced entry?
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINIO...
That is an interesting read...
Unless those officers are physically at the nuke plant, they are probably not of much use against suicide terrorists who are not planning on leaving anyway.
A single gunman might not be all that effective, but don't underestimate the effectiveness of a team of people who have a plan and part of that plan is NOT leaving the location alive.
Power plants go down for all sorts of reasons all the time, the grid can handle a plant going offline without warning, it happens.
Are you under the impression that Nuclear power plants have great security?
More like rent-a-cop security from the guy off the night job at the mall.
The only thing of any real value there is the uranium in the tanks and it isn't something that could be moved by anyone without really special equipment.
I suppose you could drive a truck in with explosives and blow it up, but you could do that at the Mall of America as well and frankly scare far more people.
Something is broken on your end. A hundred million computers are running Windows 10, I have more than a dozen in my office, some clean install, some upgrades, all work perfectly...
Windows 10 isn't broken...
Of course it will change in our lifetime. I'm only 50, and don't plan to die soon. Germany will be CO2 net zero in 20 years.
I doubt it, but we'll see.
In any case, they perhaps can afford it, if they really want to. Won't change anything, since the total planet's numbers are the only ones that count, and they can't afford to do it for everyone.
Fair enough... but if you care about performance in 2016, you're on a SSD and then it doesn't take that long...
In any case, if people would keep their machines up to date, this wouldn't have been needed, but since people DON'T do that, this is what we get.
Either leave your machine plugged in at home so it can update at 3am, or run updates manually at a time you prefer, or accept it.
Then you have a hardware problem, either with your USB stick or your computer.
Or a virus perhaps.
Personally I often have browsers open, applications open and don't restart for weeks. More importantly I often have applications & debuggers open.
Then perhaps you should be on Pro so you can defer updates and do them on your schedule?
It took an hour and a fucking-half for these updates to finish. Mother-fucker.
Perhaps a SSD is called for, along with a computer newer than 15 years old?
Even my Core2Quad doesn't take that long to do a complete Windows install, much less updates
I literally see people who haven't taken control of Updates away from Microsoft spend 30 or more minutes waiting for their laptop to shutdown so they can go home.
If your laptop is taking 30 min to run Windows Update, then perhaps it is time to replace your 15 year old laptop with something designed this decade.
Even with a hard drive and not a SSD, it shouldn't take that long.
B-b-but the datamining and telemetry! It spies everything that I do on my computer! Ain't you not worried?
Nope, honestly I'm not.
I find this very hard to believe.
What, you think that somehow hundreds of millions of PCs are now running and somehow having your problems?
That would be front page news on CNN.
No, sorry, the problem is on your end somewhere.
My experience is Windows update does not even work out of the box on a fresh install from last weekend using Microsoft's own media creator program!
Then you have hardware problems, because that is not normal. I've installed Windows 10 on a lot of machines, Windows update runs on them all.
So everyone has to be a sysadmin now and it's their fault if they are not?
Nice strawman you have there...
If you're going to give an important presentation, make sure you have everything you need ready to go.
Next you'll say he forgot to bring his power cord a that is the laptops fault somehow.
The irony is that I hear mostly positive comments..
When can you wusses put your foot down and help bring a mentality like mine back to the mainstream? I'm tired of having to argue all these points and wish you would all help educate common-folk you know about these issues. Stand the fuck up for yourself.
Well, never, since I disagree with you...
For whatever faults are with the current system, it does beat the crap out of the older system where a hundred million machines were botted due to a complete lack of Windows Updates.
People simply didn't update their computers, it was a mess.
This solution isn't perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.
Telling me to "just back it up" is retarded since that is downtime
Backing up is downtime? If backing up takes you time, you're doing it wrong. In any case, you should always have a backup of your data, if you don't, you have no one but you to blame for losing it.
Anyone remember updating computers without the internet using "update disks"? We need to get back to that now
Yea, how about no... heck no...
Windows 10 is fast on everything I've put it on, and that is a lot more than three machines.
Without physically being there, it is almost impossible to help you.
Side note: The "oldest" machine I've installed Windows 10 on is a Core2Quad Q6600 2.4GHz machine that is now 9 years old, it has 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a 80GB Intel G2 SSD, and it is amazingly fast for its age. Oh sure it isn't nearly as fast as modern machines, but if you're checking e-mail, facebook, or playing light games, it frankly is pretty snappy.
Windows 10 is the best release since 7, and before that, XP. Loving it every day, no regrets...
Anyone can download Windows 10 to a CD ISO image, or a bootable USB Flash Drive.
While most people won't do this, frankly they should. If you are not prepared for a computer that won't boot, then you can't complain if you have no solution when it won't boot.
People don't want to take any responsibility anymore, then blame everyone else when they have problems.