Most useful to most users is the real live 64 bit support (can use > 3.5GB of RAM), support for DirectX 10, excellent driver support out of the box, and a few other bits and pieces (I'm no expert on win 7...).
The parent post is exactly right that you can't answer the question precisely. It's a general purpose operating system. Some purposes can be fulfilled with windows XP, some can't. Basically - If you don't know why you should upgrade, you probably don't need to.
Also, don't forget that direct network access (ie: something a firewall would block) isn't the only vector for malware. I'm sure you know how to protect your machines, but many people assume a firewall or an antivirus program is the end-all solution to allow them free and promiscuous web browsing... With most end of life OSes the lack up security patches isn't a big concern, but that's because they went EOL before malware on the internet "went big" and there's nobody attacking them.
Right - cause the best way to encourage open discourse in politics is to make sure the lawns are *clearly* drawn. There was a time when ideals and policies were what people would vote for, not a D or an R. We can't get back to that if people refuse to see past the D and the R.
Basically what I'm saying is - you aren't being helpful.
No... The spread of Christianity may have lead to the current version of civilization in the world, but to claim that the world would be an uncivilized and horrific place without it is absolutely absurd. The historical record is *quite* clear that there were many quite civilized cultures in the world before and after Christianity. I could argue just as well that current Western civilization has more to owe to Roman or Greek culture than it does to Christian ideals. I could also argue quite well that Europe became far *less* civilized with the spread of Christianity and the fall of the Roman empire.
I sense you're under the impression that anything un-Christian is uncivilized. If that's the case - that is exactly the source of fear so many people have of Islam and other cultures that in reality are quite civilized (and have been since long before Christians came on the scene).
OK you lost me at that lat sentence there. You do bring up a good point about these documents being written for the societies in which they were conceived and a *lot* of the stuff in there simply is no longer relevant. Of course, a reasonable person of *any* faith can read their holy texts and pick out the bits that might not apply to them, but unfortunately the more we attack each others faiths, the further away from any sort of reason we go.
That, and I am fair certain that the world didn't need Christianity to tell people not to rape and pillage. Morality doesn't need to stem from religion. The sooner we can get religious people to understand this, the sooner we can get over our fear of people of differing (or no?) faiths.
I don't understand... If you don't click the link you can't complain about it. Are you saying you are passively avoiding complaining? Why do you hate complaining?
I'm sorry, you lost me at "females." I mean, I've heard about them and even seen pictures of them on the internets. I hear they're great people and would love to meet one someday, but women as "stuff that matters" to the average slashdotter? Shirley you jest!
People don't carpool right now despite all of the benefits. That, and American's love *their* cars. What everybody in this thread is talking about is simply a more advanced form of public transport which is already underutilized. If most people aren't willing to take light rail or ride the bus (IE: in southern California) - what will make them willing to pile into an auto-car with a couple of other strangers?
The problem with posts like this is you might get people to believe this crap. I won't say there aren't issues with the DMCA, but find me one solid example where an individual faced a lawsuit for repairing their own devices.
Hoping this is tongue in cheek, but really you're doing it wrong. Salaried people willing to put in obscene hours greatly distorts the job market. Doing the work of two people for the price of one means that not only are you working yourself to death, but somebody else is sitting there unemployed.
That, and you need to find a better cafe - it sounds like the one you patronize kinda sucks;)
You aren't going to pay a professional more than the value of a computer or appliance to have it fixed. You're going to replace it. The "hobbyist neighbor" simply provides a middle ground where you might get it repaired on the cheap. Nobody should try to repair anything of great value or importance in this way
Replying to emphasize AC co-poster's point: This isn't a lawyer problem, this is a people problem.
If you gave a stranger your laptop and bought him lunch and a beer to fix it - and despite his best efforts he not only failed to, but it ended up worse off than it was before - would you try to hold him responsible? For a lot of people, that answer is "yes." Those people should seek professional repair services and pay the premium for that. I repair computers and devices all the time for family and friends and I'm shocked if I don't have one or two tiny little screws left over. They know this going into it and accept the risk because their machine didn't work before anyway and would not have paid to have it properly repaired to begin with. A repair cafe like this would work *if* the people coming in are already on the assumption that what they have is a total loss, and they're making a small gamble that they might get it going again for cheap.
Compounding this issue is that people these days simply don't carry out their own basic repairs anymore. How many people do you know change their own oil, replace a busted faucet, or even sew back on a missing button? A great deal of these $200 washing machine repairs may simply be a matter of replacing a belt or other minor part. Something you see different about this generation of people is they don't attempt to repair their own stuff. Getting out a screwdriver to crack open an appliance and just seeing what could be amiss in there is a mental hurdle that a depressing number of my friends simply can't get over.
This leads me on a tangent: you know who doesn't have that issue? That huge population of "low-skill" immigrants. In that population are going to be great mechanics, great body shop guys, great woodworkers. They also aren't going to have any huge company overhead and don't need to charge that $100 an hour to come and fix your washer.
Beyond this, the labor isn't even that expensive. That on-site technician you paid $200 to the Geek Squad to come and fix your computer? He *might* be making $15 an hour. The rest is overhead to support the organization above him.
Depends on the car and your goals for it. Most "car tinkerers" have a project car that is basically a hobby of theirs - with a separate (modern and reliable) daily driver. Of course, a significant number of the "car tinkerers" never actually finish repairing their car and end up selling the basket case to the next tinkerer anyhow...
All that said, with the proper work up-front, the old cars can still be plenty reliable. "Constantly repairing" means you did it wrong the first time!
It's not so much a "Western" thing as it is an "industrialized" thing. When you don't have the income to buy replacements, you put the effort into repairing and keeping what you have running for as long as possible.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh shut up, we all know you've got a three digit UID account. You just made a new one so you could brag about how big your number is.
Except Dysons - those are captured from the solar wind.
Who knows, maybe Oracle went into that expecting to lose with the primary goal of settling the case law on the subject?
Hah! OK, so I meant lines, but lawns is so much better!
Most useful to most users is the real live 64 bit support (can use > 3.5GB of RAM), support for DirectX 10, excellent driver support out of the box, and a few other bits and pieces (I'm no expert on win 7...).
The parent post is exactly right that you can't answer the question precisely. It's a general purpose operating system. Some purposes can be fulfilled with windows XP, some can't. Basically - If you don't know why you should upgrade, you probably don't need to.
Also, don't forget that direct network access (ie: something a firewall would block) isn't the only vector for malware. I'm sure you know how to protect your machines, but many people assume a firewall or an antivirus program is the end-all solution to allow them free and promiscuous web browsing... With most end of life OSes the lack up security patches isn't a big concern, but that's because they went EOL before malware on the internet "went big" and there's nobody attacking them.
Right - cause the best way to encourage open discourse in politics is to make sure the lawns are *clearly* drawn. There was a time when ideals and policies were what people would vote for, not a D or an R. We can't get back to that if people refuse to see past the D and the R.
Basically what I'm saying is - you aren't being helpful.
Simple - the state run space programs are still built by private industries, just not the same ones that line their pockets.
Then again, a minutes worth of miscalculation while dangling from a *parachute* might not be as much "mistake" as "acceptable margin of error"
I'm thinking you should probably stop working for shitty companies. It'll improve your outlook on life!
No... The spread of Christianity may have lead to the current version of civilization in the world, but to claim that the world would be an uncivilized and horrific place without it is absolutely absurd. The historical record is *quite* clear that there were many quite civilized cultures in the world before and after Christianity. I could argue just as well that current Western civilization has more to owe to Roman or Greek culture than it does to Christian ideals. I could also argue quite well that Europe became far *less* civilized with the spread of Christianity and the fall of the Roman empire.
I sense you're under the impression that anything un-Christian is uncivilized. If that's the case - that is exactly the source of fear so many people have of Islam and other cultures that in reality are quite civilized (and have been since long before Christians came on the scene).
OK you lost me at that lat sentence there. You do bring up a good point about these documents being written for the societies in which they were conceived and a *lot* of the stuff in there simply is no longer relevant. Of course, a reasonable person of *any* faith can read their holy texts and pick out the bits that might not apply to them, but unfortunately the more we attack each others faiths, the further away from any sort of reason we go.
That, and I am fair certain that the world didn't need Christianity to tell people not to rape and pillage. Morality doesn't need to stem from religion. The sooner we can get religious people to understand this, the sooner we can get over our fear of people of differing (or no?) faiths.
oh yeah, the USA FASCISM Act. That one's a real stinker.
I don't understand... If you don't click the link you can't complain about it. Are you saying you are passively avoiding complaining? Why do you hate complaining?
I'm sorry, you lost me at "females." I mean, I've heard about them and even seen pictures of them on the internets. I hear they're great people and would love to meet one someday, but women as "stuff that matters" to the average slashdotter? Shirley you jest!
Well done, sir!
Come on now, you can't expect anybody on Slashdot to have assumed you were talking about that poor bastardization of The Holy Trilogy?
Never underestimate the power of the battle canoe.
People don't carpool right now despite all of the benefits. That, and American's love *their* cars. What everybody in this thread is talking about is simply a more advanced form of public transport which is already underutilized. If most people aren't willing to take light rail or ride the bus (IE: in southern California) - what will make them willing to pile into an auto-car with a couple of other strangers?
...That didn't take long.
The problem with posts like this is you might get people to believe this crap. I won't say there aren't issues with the DMCA, but find me one solid example where an individual faced a lawsuit for repairing their own devices.
Hoping this is tongue in cheek, but really you're doing it wrong. Salaried people willing to put in obscene hours greatly distorts the job market. Doing the work of two people for the price of one means that not only are you working yourself to death, but somebody else is sitting there unemployed.
;)
That, and you need to find a better cafe - it sounds like the one you patronize kinda sucks
You aren't going to pay a professional more than the value of a computer or appliance to have it fixed. You're going to replace it. The "hobbyist neighbor" simply provides a middle ground where you might get it repaired on the cheap. Nobody should try to repair anything of great value or importance in this way
Replying to emphasize AC co-poster's point: This isn't a lawyer problem, this is a people problem.
If you gave a stranger your laptop and bought him lunch and a beer to fix it - and despite his best efforts he not only failed to, but it ended up worse off than it was before - would you try to hold him responsible? For a lot of people, that answer is "yes." Those people should seek professional repair services and pay the premium for that. I repair computers and devices all the time for family and friends and I'm shocked if I don't have one or two tiny little screws left over. They know this going into it and accept the risk because their machine didn't work before anyway and would not have paid to have it properly repaired to begin with. A repair cafe like this would work *if* the people coming in are already on the assumption that what they have is a total loss, and they're making a small gamble that they might get it going again for cheap.
Compounding this issue is that people these days simply don't carry out their own basic repairs anymore. How many people do you know change their own oil, replace a busted faucet, or even sew back on a missing button? A great deal of these $200 washing machine repairs may simply be a matter of replacing a belt or other minor part. Something you see different about this generation of people is they don't attempt to repair their own stuff. Getting out a screwdriver to crack open an appliance and just seeing what could be amiss in there is a mental hurdle that a depressing number of my friends simply can't get over.
This leads me on a tangent: you know who doesn't have that issue? That huge population of "low-skill" immigrants. In that population are going to be great mechanics, great body shop guys, great woodworkers. They also aren't going to have any huge company overhead and don't need to charge that $100 an hour to come and fix your washer.
Beyond this, the labor isn't even that expensive. That on-site technician you paid $200 to the Geek Squad to come and fix your computer? He *might* be making $15 an hour. The rest is overhead to support the organization above him.
Depends on the car and your goals for it. Most "car tinkerers" have a project car that is basically a hobby of theirs - with a separate (modern and reliable) daily driver. Of course, a significant number of the "car tinkerers" never actually finish repairing their car and end up selling the basket case to the next tinkerer anyhow...
All that said, with the proper work up-front, the old cars can still be plenty reliable. "Constantly repairing" means you did it wrong the first time!
It's not so much a "Western" thing as it is an "industrialized" thing. When you don't have the income to buy replacements, you put the effort into repairing and keeping what you have running for as long as possible.