I have an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB. I have been playing with UT2K4 for the last couple of weeks since it was released for Linux. I thought it was running pretty well on my system... until I booted over to Windows and gave it a try. What a disappointment. Under Windows my frame rate is - *at the very least* - more than twice as high (which gives me significantly smoother play - I never thought it was jerky or anything under Linux, but it's **WAY** smoother under Windows). And visually, just about everything looks at least a little bit better, and in some cases, a LOT better. Lighting effects, wall textures, fog/smoke, and especially the flags on the walls in CTF. They look silky smooth in Windows and wave in the wind... under Linux they are much morer flat looking and almost pixelated. I guess it's the difference between OpenGL and DirectX? And the sound quality under Windows is also signifcantly better. Reverb, echo, stadium sound, whatever it is... it sounds great in Windows.
I'm pretty bummed out about it actually because I don't feel like there's anything I can do to make it better under Linux. (Updating to the 2.6 kernel didn't help. I'm running the latest drivers for my video card and I've downloaded the nForce2 Linux drivers from nvidia for my motherboard's integrated sound. (ASUS A7N8X Deluxe, rev. 2.0)
I still prefer Linux... games just are a significant factor for me... but it was still a real let down.
Man... I was happy with ut2k4 under Linux, until I installed it and played it under Windows. What a disgrace to Linux. Frame rates 2 times faster at an absolute minimum (usually 3-4 times faster), much better lighting/fog/textures, infinitely better sound... what a disappointment. Well, I guess the upshot is that it was nice to see my video card perform so well. Too bad it requires Windows to achieve it.:(
Great posts. I had been thinking about the Parahelia just for flight sim, now that's pretty well nixed.
I would definitely advise against it unless you know what to expect and are OK with that.
So if you swapped out to ATI, what are you doing to drive your third screen?
Right now I have the 3rd screen on my other computer. I originally planned on buying 2 inexpensive ATI or NVidia PCI cards with DVI out so I could have DVI on all 3 screens. But every configuration I've tried so far under Linux has failed in one way or another. (And perhaps even more frustrating, all the configurations work fine under Windows. sigh.)
Have you set-up the multiple-computer flight sim set-up? How painful is that?
Sort of. I set up a 1 node configuration just to see if I could do it. I wasn't happy with the results. There's enough of a delay in the network response time between the machines that it makes for a weird experience. For example, you bank right, and 1/2 second later the Networked machines bank right. I have a 10/100Mb Network so I don't think it should be an issue of latency or not enough network bandwidth. (Could have been the relatively crummy specs of the spare machine though. My primary machine is pretty decked out though.)
Plus there are issues with the weather and air traffic. Since each machine is running it's own copy of the Flight Simulator... if you have your weather setup for rainy on your primary machine, the other machines won't just automatically show rain. So your left/right view would be a clear, sunny day while your primary display is raining. Same problems with air traffic. The weather problem can be overcome with a third party software program that keeps the weather in sync between the machines. I'm not sure if it works with air traffic too or not. (I think it's dumb that Microsoft didn't think to make it so that you could setup some "listen" nodes on your network. Sort of a client/server config for multiple displays.)
Plus there is the custom configuration that has to be done on each machine. You have to edit the cockpit files for *each* plane on *each* networked machine and tell it what viewing angle you want. -15 degrees on the left, +15 degrees on the right (or whatever).
It's a big pain in the neck in my opinion. You'd have to be a lot more of an enthusiast than I am to want to deal with it.
I really want a three monitor setup - it's just so much more interesting to flightsim when you can see stuff to the left and right of the plane.
Yes definitely. It's just too bad computers don't have 3 AGP slots where you could drive each monitor with a dedicated graphics card. I'm thinking PCI Express will be ideal for a 3 monitor setup.
I'm not terribly excited by flight simming, but it's cheaper to practice instrument approaches in the sim than in the plane. In some respects, I think it's better too. The controls/feedback sucks (Even with a FF joystick) which makes overcontrolling almost unavoidable. But the overcontrolling just forces you to have a really good instrument scan - so it ends up being better for your practice.
I think you can learn a lot from the Flight Simulator. I prefer yoke and pedals myself. I think it's more realistic than a combat stick.
But my interest level falls off rapidly due to the tiny field-of-view. I've had a chance to try two views (excellent Dell 20001FP LCDs) and it was great. Now if only I could add that third display....
My interest waxes and wanes like the phases of the moon. I was really jazzed about it for a while and kind of went "all out" on buying these 3 monitors, the parhelia card, and a yoke and pedals. And it was great fun for a while. But then, it got a little old. I put away my pedals and yoke and haven't touched them in months. My true interest lies in computer technology in general. Networking, playing with Operating Systems, and so on. That never goes away.
... and I thought Lindows was the worst possible name for a Linux Distribution. Looks like they managed to come up with something even worse.
Any inclination I might have had for holding some amount of respect for Lindows is now gone. This is a case of someone cutting off their nose to spite their face.
The Matrox Parhelia SUCKS if you are a Linux user. For the last several months I've been using Linux 100% of the time but I guess technically I am a dual booter. (There are a couple of games in Windows that I enjoy enough to keep Windows around.) Anyway - the Linux drivers that are available for the Parhelia are non accelerated. (There is a note on the website that says you can e-mail them and request some kind of accelerated development only driver. I requested them and never got them though.)
The drivers also address your Desktop as one big Desktop (not Xinerama). So when you maximize a window, it maximizes across all 3 monitors. (It's the same in Windows actually but in Windows there is a Matrox service that runs in the background that will make it so Windows will maximize only within the pixel border of it's respective monitor.)
And finally, the drivers come in the form of an RPM for RedHat 9 only. (No source RPM or tar.gz is available of course.) I was able to make them work with Fedora Core 1... but I could not get them to work with SuSE or Mandrake (which are, of course, also RPM based distros.) YMMV. And the Linux drivers ONLY work with the analog VGA out signal, no DVI. That alone is reason enough NOT to buy it (if you're a Linux user). And on that same note, if you are a Windows user and you are using triple head, the 2nd and 3rd display are analog only. You can't get DVI on all 3 displays.
I ended up selling the Parhelia card due to it's overall suckyness and lack of Linux greatness (since I use Linux for everything but a couple of games) and replaced it with an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Though now I'm starting to thing I should sell that (the ATI card that is) and buy an NVidia card since NVidia seems to have better Linux support.
I'm sure that having a second monitor to provide extra game info is probably way cool, especially with games like flight sims and driving sims. But how many people really have two monitors?
For Flight Sim'ing, the experience is just OK (at best). And that's only if you turn down the settings quite a bit. The video card simply can't handle 3840x1024 resolutions with all the settings maxed out and still manage 60+ frames per second. (Though in flight siming, since the graphics don't change nearly as much as they do in a first person shooter, you only need 25-30 to get a smooth playback.)
I noticed that in first person shooters the extra monitors didn't actually add to the emersion like I thought it would. You still focus all of your attention on the middle monitor. The side monitors ARE good for camping/sniping though. You have a wider field of view so it's harder for someone to surprise you from the side. But when you are running around constantly, the side monitors can almost be more distracting than useful. But it makes for a great demo for friends. Everyone you show it to will want it.
The real problem with triple head gaming right now is lack of graphic processing power. Don't buy the Matrox card for this purpose. You definitely WILL NOT be happy with the results. I most certainly wasn't. And I bought it knowing that for first person shooters it was going to suck, but I wanted it mainly for Flight Simulators. But even in that case it just doesn't have enough power.
Maybe when PCI Express is available I'll be able to buy 3 NVidia/ATI based graphic cards that actually have the kind of power needed for this intense of a workout.
What Tom's Hardware is proposing in this article is a much more practicle use for a second (or third) monitor. Having the second monitor display map data, chat information, statistics, and so on. The second display wouldn't even have to be accelerated in that case. A spare PCI VGA card with 8MB or 16MB of RAM should be sufficient.
I don't know about that. Have you ever tried climbing a latter with a Desktop computer in your backpack? Then unpacking it all, setting it up... and then quickly packing it all back up and running like hell when building security finds you and realizes you aren't authorized to be on the premises?
Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that, but I tend to agree. A few months back I gave Opera a fair shot. I ran it exclusively for about a month. There were a few weird things about it that I didn't like. (Where the heck are the tabs? Oh - it's not called tabs in Opera even though Opera says it has "tabbed browsing". And I don't like integrated e-mail in my browser, personally. And the Opera e-mail client "sucked", in my opinion.)
There wasn't anything about it that I liked well enough to make it my new browser of choice. I had heard that it was the fastest browser available in terms of rendering HTML. So I wanted to give it a fair try. I don't have an Open Source axe to grind. If a proprietary product is genuinely better, I'm willing to admit it. That doesn't necessarily mean I'll use it, but I don't have any problem owning up when something else is better. But personally I just didn't see any fantastic speed increases. (Or even non fantastic speed increases for that matter.) And the ads, they are annoying when you aren't use to having them. I'm sure I could get use to them, or I could pay to get rid of them. But why bother when FireBird (now FireFox)/Galeon/Mozilla is just as good (better)?
The only way to rename a file is through an invisible menu.
Dude... are you serious? My grandmother is 75 years old and is the most annoyingly computer illiterate person I have ever dealt with. I explained the concept of right clicking to her *one time* and she "got it".
Now I know your rebuttal is going to be... "But the point is she shouldn't have to have it explained to her at all!!!"... That's just stupid. People have to learn how to do just about everything and it's no big deal once you know it. How intuitive is a TV remote, really? If you've never used a TV before in your life? How intuitive is driving a car? How intuitive is an ATM for getting out cash? I could sit here and play all your "but, but, but" games like instead of "but, what is right clicking" I could say "but, what's a PIN number? What's "my card"? What's withdraw?" It's all learned.
There's a quote I read that says "The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that it's all learned."
...thinking that a polished GUI with a consistently applied set of design principles makes the OS better.
Yeah you're right. It's so much easier when every program you use employs a totally unique way of doing things. It annoys me that clicking the upper right "X" button not only closes out the browser window when using Galeon, but it stupidly does the same thing when I'm using RhythmBox.
It would be much better if the "X" button did something completely unique for each program. Better yet, it should randomly generate a new function each time you click the icon. Keep things interesting you know. This time it closes out the window, next time it launches Gimp, the time after that it reboots my computer. Now *that* would be cool.
I wanted to purchase a Dell laptop few weeks ago. But it was not possible to select "no OS" from the web interface. I decided to send an email but got no response.
Same here. But I did get a (useless) response.
> Problem Description: I tried to purchase the Inspiron 5100 Notebook online but I noticed that when I selected the option to customize that I was not able to remove Windows XP from the selection. As a long time user of "alternative" Operating Systems (Linux, FreeBSD, and otherwise), I have no desire to pay for an Operating System that I have no intent on using. > > Dear Sir,
Thank you for choosing Dell Online Customer Care.
I apologize for any inconvenience this matter may have caused.
Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you with your request. You will need to contact the appropriate department for additional information regarding your request.
Online Sales Center at 1-800-915-3355 ext 62032 or via e-mail at:
For instance I would of bought a Dell laptop in a heartbeat if I knew dell supported it and offered a Windows-less or linux OS pre-installed.
I don't care if they support* Linux or not. Just give me the laptop without the Microsoft tax and I'll do the rest.
* By support I mean that if I have a problem with Linux I don't care if they have people around to help me with my problem. But if you meant that they actually do a little bit of research to make sure the hardware that goes into the laptop works with Linux, then well yeah... it would be nice if they supported Linux.
In the latter case, here are a couple of places I've found that do just that. Unfortunately their prices can't match Dell's, but at least you know that all of your hardware is going to work with Linux. (or so they claim)
And my point was and still is that the layperson shouldn't be expected to know how to program in machine code in order to use a computer - as his grandfather's comment suggested. "Anyone who doesn't know machine language has no business using a computer."
There's a big difference between "using" a computer and being a computer programmer. The guy said his grandpa said "Anyone who doesn't know machine language has no business using a computer." Insinuating that even the layperson should be required to learn machine code before they could even do a simple task such as checking their e-mail. It's completely ridiculous to think that my grandfather, a rancher, should have to learn machine code in order to check his e-mail.
This guy's grandfather's comment was the comment of an elitist. He is interested in computer technology and (hypocritically) thinks everyone else in the world should be just as interested in it as he is. (Or more likely, he just "gets off" on dehumanizing others by making snide, condescending remarks.) So to prove how ridiculous his statement was, I made an equally outlandish and ridiculous statement.
That is so wrong. If for "doesn't deserve to live" you substitute "doesn't deserve to design human bodies" it would at least make sense.
No because your modified statement actually makes sense. Remember his original statement? That people should have to know machine code to use their computers.
So that means in order for my mom to check her e-mail, learning machine code is a prerequisite? Seems pretty ridiculous to me. Again, your modified statement would make sense, his did not. So I was making an equally ridiculous statement.
(I copied this text almost exactly from my other reply a couple of messages down since it applies to your comment as well.)
Actually i wouldnt go that far...id say: "Well Grandpa, my motto is anyone who can't describe, with exacting detail, all the functions of every organ in the human body doesn't deserve to be a geneticist."
No because your statement actually makes sense. Remember his original statement? That people should have to know machine code to use their computers.
So that means in order for my mom to check her e-mail, learning machine code is a prerequisite? Seems pretty ridiculous to me. Your statement makes sense, his did not. So I was making an equally ridiculous statement.
His motto is "Anyone who doesn't know machine language has no business using a computer."
Just say to him "Well Grandpa, my motto is anyone who can't describe, with exacting detail, all the functions of every organ in the human body doesn't deserve to live."
Also agreed. My grandfather passed away a few years ago and left me with... I'll just say it was enough to buy my house out right. (i.e. no mortgage) And I was only 22 years old at the time. Seriously there is not a single day that goes by that I am not thankful for my grandfather's generosity... and my mother's wisdom in convincing me to use the money to buy a house instead of "wasting" it on other material items that would be short lived. (Think about it from this side of the time line. What good would a bunch of Play Station 1's and Pentium 233MHz computers do me now?)
Spending $7k on a wireless network may sound like fun and a cool idea right now, but in 18 months time all of that equipment will be nearing obsolescence and worth 1/10th what you paid for it. And a few months after that you won't even be able to give it away.
Put the money into a savings account for now and use it towards paying off your house. Once you own your home out right, you will always feel like you can afford things like wireless routers, LCD screens, new game consoles, and so on.
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I have an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB. I have been playing with UT2K4 for the last couple of weeks since it was released for Linux. I thought it was running pretty well on my system ... until I booted over to Windows and gave it a try. What a disappointment. Under Windows my frame rate is - *at the very least* - more than twice as high (which gives me significantly smoother play - I never thought it was jerky or anything under Linux, but it's **WAY** smoother under Windows). And visually, just about everything looks at least a little bit better, and in some cases, a LOT better. Lighting effects, wall textures, fog/smoke, and especially the flags on the walls in CTF. They look silky smooth in Windows and wave in the wind ... under Linux they are much morer flat looking and almost pixelated. I guess it's the difference between OpenGL and DirectX? And the sound quality under Windows is also signifcantly better. Reverb, echo, stadium sound, whatever it is... it sounds great in Windows.
... games just are a significant factor for me... but it was still a real let down.
I'm pretty bummed out about it actually because I don't feel like there's anything I can do to make it better under Linux. (Updating to the 2.6 kernel didn't help. I'm running the latest drivers for my video card and I've downloaded the nForce2 Linux drivers from nvidia for my motherboard's integrated sound. (ASUS A7N8X Deluxe, rev. 2.0)
I still prefer Linux
So dop you know what the Windows - Break (or Pause/Break) does ?
dop you?
Hey, at least they got told, right? Afterall, they could have been like Milton.
That wouldn't be so bad. Milton continue getting paid for several months.
Us consumers, as in you and me. Not U.S. consumers. Twit
... [/funny] tags *really* necessary for people to get the joke? Lighten up.
Jeez... were the [funny]
a little competition from Motorola can only be good for us consumers!
What about non us consumers? You self centered americans are always thinking about yourselves.
I enjoy gaming (especially under Linux)
:(
Man... I was happy with ut2k4 under Linux, until I installed it and played it under Windows. What a disgrace to Linux. Frame rates 2 times faster at an absolute minimum (usually 3-4 times faster), much better lighting/fog/textures, infinitely better sound... what a disappointment. Well, I guess the upshot is that it was nice to see my video card perform so well. Too bad it requires Windows to achieve it.
Great posts. I had been thinking about the Parahelia just for flight sim, now that's pretty well nixed.
... if you have your weather setup for rainy on your primary machine, the other machines won't just automatically show rain. So your left/right view would be a clear, sunny day while your primary display is raining. Same problems with air traffic. The weather problem can be overcome with a third party software program that keeps the weather in sync between the machines. I'm not sure if it works with air traffic too or not. (I think it's dumb that Microsoft didn't think to make it so that you could setup some "listen" nodes on your network. Sort of a client/server config for multiple displays.)
I would definitely advise against it unless you know what to expect and are OK with that.
So if you swapped out to ATI, what are you doing to drive your third screen?
Right now I have the 3rd screen on my other computer. I originally planned on buying 2 inexpensive ATI or NVidia PCI cards with DVI out so I could have DVI on all 3 screens. But every configuration I've tried so far under Linux has failed in one way or another. (And perhaps even more frustrating, all the configurations work fine under Windows. sigh.)
Have you set-up the multiple-computer flight sim set-up? How painful is that?
Sort of. I set up a 1 node configuration just to see if I could do it. I wasn't happy with the results. There's enough of a delay in the network response time between the machines that it makes for a weird experience. For example, you bank right, and 1/2 second later the Networked machines bank right. I have a 10/100Mb Network so I don't think it should be an issue of latency or not enough network bandwidth. (Could have been the relatively crummy specs of the spare machine though. My primary machine is pretty decked out though.)
Plus there are issues with the weather and air traffic. Since each machine is running it's own copy of the Flight Simulator
Plus there is the custom configuration that has to be done on each machine. You have to edit the cockpit files for *each* plane on *each* networked machine and tell it what viewing angle you want. -15 degrees on the left, +15 degrees on the right (or whatever).
It's a big pain in the neck in my opinion. You'd have to be a lot more of an enthusiast than I am to want to deal with it.
I really want a three monitor setup - it's just so much more interesting to flightsim when you can see stuff to the left and right of the plane.
Yes definitely. It's just too bad computers don't have 3 AGP slots where you could drive each monitor with a dedicated graphics card. I'm thinking PCI Express will be ideal for a 3 monitor setup.
I'm not terribly excited by flight simming, but it's cheaper to practice instrument approaches in the sim than in the plane. In some respects, I think it's better too. The controls/feedback sucks (Even with a FF joystick) which makes overcontrolling almost unavoidable. But the overcontrolling just forces you to have a really good instrument scan - so it ends up being better for your practice.
I think you can learn a lot from the Flight Simulator. I prefer yoke and pedals myself. I think it's more realistic than a combat stick.
But my interest level falls off rapidly due to the tiny field-of-view. I've had a chance to try two views (excellent Dell 20001FP LCDs) and it was great. Now if only I could add that third display....
My interest waxes and wanes like the phases of the moon. I was really jazzed about it for a while and kind of went "all out" on buying these 3 monitors, the parhelia card, and a yoke and pedals. And it was great fun for a while. But then, it got a little old. I put away my pedals and yoke and haven't touched them in months. My true interest lies in computer technology in general. Networking, playing with Operating Systems, and so on. That never goes away.
... and I thought Lindows was the worst possible name for a Linux Distribution. Looks like they managed to come up with something even worse.
Any inclination I might have had for holding some amount of respect for Lindows is now gone. This is a case of someone cutting off their nose to spite their face.
And a couple of more quick points.
... but I could not get them to work with SuSE or Mandrake (which are, of course, also RPM based distros.) YMMV. And the Linux drivers ONLY work with the analog VGA out signal, no DVI. That alone is reason enough NOT to buy it (if you're a Linux user). And on that same note, if you are a Windows user and you are using triple head, the 2nd and 3rd display are analog only. You can't get DVI on all 3 displays.
The Matrox Parhelia SUCKS if you are a Linux user. For the last several months I've been using Linux 100% of the time but I guess technically I am a dual booter. (There are a couple of games in Windows that I enjoy enough to keep Windows around.) Anyway - the Linux drivers that are available for the Parhelia are non accelerated. (There is a note on the website that says you can e-mail them and request some kind of accelerated development only driver. I requested them and never got them though.)
The drivers also address your Desktop as one big Desktop (not Xinerama). So when you maximize a window, it maximizes across all 3 monitors. (It's the same in Windows actually but in Windows there is a Matrox service that runs in the background that will make it so Windows will maximize only within the pixel border of it's respective monitor.)
And finally, the drivers come in the form of an RPM for RedHat 9 only. (No source RPM or tar.gz is available of course.) I was able to make them work with Fedora Core 1
I ended up selling the Parhelia card due to it's overall suckyness and lack of Linux greatness (since I use Linux for everything but a couple of games) and replaced it with an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Though now I'm starting to thing I should sell that (the ATI card that is) and buy an NVidia card since NVidia seems to have better Linux support.
I'm sure that having a second monitor to provide extra game info is probably way cool, especially with games like flight sims and driving sims. But how many people really have two monitors?
I bought 3 Hitachi 17" Flat Panel displays just for that purpose. I powered them with a Matrox Parhelia. (Screenshots here, here, and here.
For Flight Sim'ing, the experience is just OK (at best). And that's only if you turn down the settings quite a bit. The video card simply can't handle 3840x1024 resolutions with all the settings maxed out and still manage 60+ frames per second. (Though in flight siming, since the graphics don't change nearly as much as they do in a first person shooter, you only need 25-30 to get a smooth playback.)
I noticed that in first person shooters the extra monitors didn't actually add to the emersion like I thought it would. You still focus all of your attention on the middle monitor. The side monitors ARE good for camping/sniping though. You have a wider field of view so it's harder for someone to surprise you from the side. But when you are running around constantly, the side monitors can almost be more distracting than useful. But it makes for a great demo for friends. Everyone you show it to will want it.
The real problem with triple head gaming right now is lack of graphic processing power. Don't buy the Matrox card for this purpose. You definitely WILL NOT be happy with the results. I most certainly wasn't. And I bought it knowing that for first person shooters it was going to suck, but I wanted it mainly for Flight Simulators. But even in that case it just doesn't have enough power.
Maybe when PCI Express is available I'll be able to buy 3 NVidia/ATI based graphic cards that actually have the kind of power needed for this intense of a workout.
What Tom's Hardware is proposing in this article is a much more practicle use for a second (or third) monitor. Having the second monitor display map data, chat information, statistics, and so on. The second display wouldn't even have to be accelerated in that case. A spare PCI VGA card with 8MB or 16MB of RAM should be sufficient.
IMO, buying a laptop is the height of stupidity.
... and then quickly packing it all back up and running like hell when building security finds you and realizes you aren't authorized to be on the premises?
I don't know about that. Have you ever tried climbing a latter with a Desktop computer in your backpack? Then unpacking it all, setting it up
Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that, but I tend to agree. A few months back I gave Opera a fair shot. I ran it exclusively for about a month. There were a few weird things about it that I didn't like. (Where the heck are the tabs? Oh - it's not called tabs in Opera even though Opera says it has "tabbed browsing". And I don't like integrated e-mail in my browser, personally. And the Opera e-mail client "sucked", in my opinion.)
There wasn't anything about it that I liked well enough to make it my new browser of choice. I had heard that it was the fastest browser available in terms of rendering HTML. So I wanted to give it a fair try. I don't have an Open Source axe to grind. If a proprietary product is genuinely better, I'm willing to admit it. That doesn't necessarily mean I'll use it, but I don't have any problem owning up when something else is better. But personally I just didn't see any fantastic speed increases. (Or even non fantastic speed increases for that matter.) And the ads, they are annoying when you aren't use to having them. I'm sure I could get use to them, or I could pay to get rid of them. But why bother when FireBird (now FireFox)/Galeon/Mozilla is just as good (better)?
The only way to rename a file is through an invisible menu.
... are you serious? My grandmother is 75 years old and is the most annoyingly computer illiterate person I have ever dealt with. I explained the concept of right clicking to her *one time* and she "got it".
... "But the point is she shouldn't have to have it explained to her at all!!!" ... That's just stupid. People have to learn how to do just about everything and it's no big deal once you know it. How intuitive is a TV remote, really? If you've never used a TV before in your life? How intuitive is driving a car? How intuitive is an ATM for getting out cash? I could sit here and play all your "but, but, but" games like instead of "but, what is right clicking" I could say "but, what's a PIN number? What's "my card"? What's withdraw?" It's all learned.
Dude
Now I know your rebuttal is going to be
There's a quote I read that says "The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that it's all learned."
...thinking that a polished GUI with a consistently applied set of design principles makes the OS better.
Yeah you're right. It's so much easier when every program you use employs a totally unique way of doing things. It annoys me that clicking the upper right "X" button not only closes out the browser window when using Galeon, but it stupidly does the same thing when I'm using RhythmBox.
It would be much better if the "X" button did something completely unique for each program. Better yet, it should randomly generate a new function each time you click the icon. Keep things interesting you know. This time it closes out the window, next time it launches Gimp, the time after that it reboots my computer. Now *that* would be cool.
I wanted to purchase a Dell laptop few weeks ago. But it was not possible to select "no OS" from the web interface. I decided to send an email but got no response.
Same here. But I did get a (useless) response.
> Problem Description:
I tried to purchase the Inspiron 5100 Notebook online but I noticed that when I selected the option to customize that I was not able to remove Windows XP from the selection. As a long time user of "alternative" Operating Systems (Linux, FreeBSD, and otherwise), I have no desire to pay for an Operating System that I have no intent on using.
>
>
Dear Sir,
Thank you for choosing Dell Online Customer Care.
I apologize for any inconvenience this matter may have caused.
Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you with your request. You will need to contact the appropriate department for additional information regarding your request.
Online Sales Center at 1-800-915-3355 ext 62032 or via e-mail at:
For instance I would of bought a Dell laptop in a heartbeat if I knew dell supported it and offered a Windows-less or linux OS pre-installed.
... it would be nice if they supported Linux.
I don't care if they support* Linux or not. Just give me the laptop without the Microsoft tax and I'll do the rest.
* By support I mean that if I have a problem with Linux I don't care if they have people around to help me with my problem. But if you meant that they actually do a little bit of research to make sure the hardware that goes into the laptop works with Linux, then well yeah
In the latter case, here are a couple of places I've found that do just that. Unfortunately their prices can't match Dell's, but at least you know that all of your hardware is going to work with Linux. (or so they claim)
laclinux.com
linuxcertified.com
Exactly how can the FIRST POST be redundant?
Redundant with a post that came later on that has more content because the guy wasn't posting a 1 liner just so he could get first post?
And my point was and still is that the layperson shouldn't be expected to know how to program in machine code in order to use a computer - as his grandfather's comment suggested. "Anyone who doesn't know machine language has no business using a computer."
There's a big difference between "using" a computer and being a computer programmer. The guy said his grandpa said "Anyone who doesn't know machine language has no business using a computer." Insinuating that even the layperson should be required to learn machine code before they could even do a simple task such as checking their e-mail. It's completely ridiculous to think that my grandfather, a rancher, should have to learn machine code in order to check his e-mail.
This guy's grandfather's comment was the comment of an elitist. He is interested in computer technology and (hypocritically) thinks everyone else in the world should be just as interested in it as he is. (Or more likely, he just "gets off" on dehumanizing others by making snide, condescending remarks.) So to prove how ridiculous his statement was, I made an equally outlandish and ridiculous statement.
That is so wrong. If for "doesn't deserve to live" you substitute "doesn't deserve to design human bodies" it would at least make sense.
No because your modified statement actually makes sense. Remember his original statement? That people should have to know machine code to use their computers.
So that means in order for my mom to check her e-mail, learning machine code is a prerequisite? Seems pretty ridiculous to me. Again, your modified statement would make sense, his did not. So I was making an equally ridiculous statement.
(I copied this text almost exactly from my other reply a couple of messages down since it applies to your comment as well.)
Actually i wouldnt go that far...id say: "Well Grandpa, my motto is anyone who can't describe, with exacting detail, all the functions of every organ in the human body doesn't deserve to be a geneticist."
No because your statement actually makes sense. Remember his original statement? That people should have to know machine code to use their computers.
So that means in order for my mom to check her e-mail, learning machine code is a prerequisite? Seems pretty ridiculous to me. Your statement makes sense, his did not. So I was making an equally ridiculous statement.
But you do expect a physician to have detailed knowledge of the body.
Yes. But I don't think my mom should have to learn assembler to check her e-mail.
What does "cogitoergosum" mean?
His motto is "Anyone who doesn't know machine language has no business using a computer."
Just say to him "Well Grandpa, my motto is anyone who can't describe, with exacting detail, all the functions of every organ in the human body doesn't deserve to live."
Also agreed. My grandfather passed away a few years ago and left me with ... I'll just say it was enough to buy my house out right. (i.e. no mortgage) And I was only 22 years old at the time. Seriously there is not a single day that goes by that I am not thankful for my grandfather's generosity ... and my mother's wisdom in convincing me to use the money to buy a house instead of "wasting" it on other material items that would be short lived. (Think about it from this side of the time line. What good would a bunch of Play Station 1's and Pentium 233MHz computers do me now?)
Spending $7k on a wireless network may sound like fun and a cool idea right now, but in 18 months time all of that equipment will be nearing obsolescence and worth 1/10th what you paid for it. And a few months after that you won't even be able to give it away.
Put the money into a savings account for now and use it towards paying off your house. Once you own your home out right, you will always feel like you can afford things like wireless routers, LCD screens, new game consoles, and so on.
Trust me on this one.